I came across an unusual cockroach while visiting a greenhouse last week in southwest Ohio. The Australian Cockroach is a tropical species that will feed on and damage plants; they do not confine their appetites to the "normal" table fare associated with cockroaches found in Ohio. Indeed, I spoke to a former IPM specialist for an eastern conservatory who told me they suffered significant losses of seedlings and rooted cuttings from these cockroaches.

This has been an active season for Common Bagworms in Ohio with heavy localized populations observed in many areas of the state. Thankfully, the damage caused by these caterpillars wrapped in silk bags festooned with host plant debris is drawing to a close. A high percentage of bagworms in Ohio have now tied their bags to anchorage points and closed their bags' openings in preparation for pupation.

I was thrilled to come across the conical pits of Antlions yesterday; the handiwork of one of my favorite insects. I had become concerned that above average rainfall this season had drowned-out a robust year for these fascinating predators. However, the localized population in the home landscaping I visited appeared to be very healthy with pits in several locations.

Wheel bug nymphs are completing their development and the adults of these large, unusual looking bugs are beginning to lurk among the leaves of trees and shrubs in Ohio in search of prey. Although caterpillars and sawfly larvae are favored table fare of this impressively large predator, they will not turn their beaks up at other arthropod meat morsels.

This past weekend my wife Laura came inside with a Botany in a Box she had collected and arranged from our backyard, a delightful mixture of flowers and miniature eggplants and melons, kousa dogwood fruits, crabapples, Korean maple fruits and more treasures. It is for her new 2nd grade class that started Monday.

 

  It reminded me of the simple joys of collecting and sharing these miniaturizations of horticultural and woodland nature. So, along with her welcome for her students, here are a few thoughts from an Akron Beacon Journal article I wrote eight years ago, with a box...

This is the time of the year when many species of spiders in Ohio begin to reach their maximum size as they fully mature. Two of our larger native spiders are the Black and Yellow Garden Spider and its similarly showy cousin, the Banded Garden Spider. Both belong to the orb weaver family (Araneidae), so named because of their flat, circular webs

Leaf-footed bugs (family Coreidae) are rife with discrepancies. Their name is based on leaf-like expansions of their hind tibia, not their "feet;" however, many species lack the leaf-like feature. The family name Coreidae is derived from the Ancient Greek word for bedbug; however, bedbugs belong to a different family, Cimicidae. They are not called stink bugs (Family Pentatomidae), but some do stink.

Diagnostics – why good plants go bad – is a big part of what we do at OSU Extension and a key skill for all horticulturists. I was doing a walkabout yesterday at the Secrest Arboretum just outside my office in Wooster, OH and took a few pictures.

Last week the Nursery Growers of Lake County Ohio (NGLCO) put on their 50th Summer Field Day at the lovely Chalet Debonne Winery. This event is always a great time to network, rediscover old friends and make new friends. And to see plants – and even owls.  Here are a few visual highlights.

 

  In addition to the hibiscus above there is the always colorful Garden Guru Charles Behnke, former and ever OSU Extension Agent.  Charles was chatting with Bob Froelich, Ornamental Specialist, newly with BayerCrop Science. Bob noted that Bayer and the aspirin-ish logo is the second...

Fall Webworm has two generations per season in Ohio. The "fall" in the webworm's common name is based on the appearance of second generation nests late in the season. First generation nests began to appear in southern Ohio in late May and second generation caterpillars are now on the scene. Localized fall webworm populations are high throughout the state with nests becoming more evident as they undergo late-season expansion.