I drove past four upright European hornbeams (Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’) today that were riddled with Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) damage; or so I thought. However, bagworms are sneaky feeders; their damage may be blamed on other pests.

I probably don’t need to post a BYGL Alert! to make you aware that we are seeing large numbers of Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) in Ohio this season; you have no doubt seen them for yourselves. In fact, some of you have literally run into the beetles.

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is potentially the most devastating non-native pest to have ever arrived in North America. The beetle kills trees belonging to 12 genera and, if it escapes eradication, ALB would cause a catastrophic loss of trees. Early detection is essential to eradication success. Learn how you can help stop ALB!

 

Commonly called blazing star or gayfeather, this perennial produces tall spikes of bright purple flowers that resemble bottlebrushes above the green strap-like foliage. This perennial is in the Asteraceae family and there are 32 species that occur throughout much of North America from southern Canada to northern Mexico.

 

The individual flowers open from the top to the bottom, unlike most plants that open from the bottom upward as the spike develops.  Flowers of this perennial act like insect magnets - attracting both bees and butterflies.  Flower spikes can also...

Emerson says: The Earth laughs in flowers.  Springtime, though, is when we tend to think of such mirth.   Summer is now our season, yet floral beauty continues to reign. Following are five of the boys and girls of summer.

 

 

  Above is the spectacular and aromatic flower of Stewartia, a member of the camellia family (Theaceae), photographed at Secrest Arboretum where Joe Cochran, Paul Snyder, Matt Shultzman, and the legacy of Kenny Cochran, hanuve resulted in numerous stewartias planted in recent years.

 

 

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  Oak leaf blister, a fungal disease caused by Taphrina caerulescens, is widespread this year on a range of oak species, both in the white oak and red oak groups. Symptoms include raised, blistered, greenish-yellow spots on upper leaf surfaces and darker, corresponding sunken spots on lower leaf surfaces, though sometimes the raised and sunken aspects may be obscured. Fungal growth can sometimes be seen on undersurfaces of leaves.

 

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I would never recommend bringing a single tree leaf to an Extension office or garden center and asking the question, “what’s wrong with this tree?” However, sometimes a single leaf can speak volumes. Just accompany me or Jim Chatfield on one of our diagnostic walk-abouts (stand-abouts?) and we’ll prove it to you!

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum, family Apiaceae) is one of the deadliest plants in North America. This non-native invasive weed contains highly toxic piperidine alkaloid compounds, including coniine and gamma-coniceine, which cause respiratory failure and death when ingested by mammals. So, how can fennel aphids survive sucking juices from the plant that killed Socrates and how can lady beetles survive eating the aphids?