Brood X (10) of the 17-year Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada spp.; family Cicadidae) have come and gone in Ohio leaving behind oviposition damage (flagging) as a reminder of their spring fling. Annual Dog-Day Cicadas (Neotibicen canicularis; family Cicadidae) are now arriving on the scene along with their nemesis, Cicada Killer Wasps (Sphecius speciosus).

Willow Pinecone Galls are produced by the Willow Pinecone Gall Midge, Rabdophaga strobiloides (family Cecidomyiidae), to house, nourish, and protect a single fly larva (maggot) located deep within the gall. The elaborate structures bear a striking resemblance to a pine cone complete with faux seed scales.

I recently came across clumps of intensely white cottony material at eye level on the stems of a red elm (= slippery elm, Ulmus rubra) along a forest trail in southwest Ohio. A close examination revealed the insects beneath the white fluff to be nymphs (immatures) of fulgoroid planthoppers (order Hemiptera, superfamily Fulgoroidea).

It’s common for people to call all insects bugs. However, entomologists reserve the bug name for a specific group of insects that belong to the suborder Heteroptera (order Hemiptera). To emphasize the point, entomologists refer to these heteropteran insects as the true bugs which may imply we consider all other insects to be false bugs but that’s not true.

This week's edition of the OSU's Turfgrass Team's Tufgrass Times has been posted. Contributors include: Dr. Dave Shetlar; Dr. Dave Gardner; and Dr. Ed Nangle.

Overwintered fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) eggs have hatched in southwest Ohio and first-generation nests are becoming noticeable. Look for these hairy caterpillars inside small silk nests enveloping just a few leaves. The nests will rapidly expand over the next few weeks to include more leaves and become far more evident.

The Hydrangea Leaftier Moth (Olethreutes ferriferana, family Tortricidae) is so-named because the caterpillars tie together developing leaves on wild and cultivated hydrangeas to produce oddball “leaf-purse” structures. The caterpillars have completed their development in southwest Ohio but their handiwork remains.

I've long admired yucca (Yucca spp., family Asparagaceae) but realize many do not share my enthusiasm for these agave cousins. Indeed, searching the web using "yucca" as the keyword yields almost as many websites offering advice on how to kill it as how to grow it. Perhaps the developing interest in landscape plants that require little watering will influence the point of view.