I've recently gotten e-mail messages with images of a gnarly looking leaf gall appearing on pin oaks in Cincinnati, OH, and Lexington, KY. The unsightly, lumpy growths are produced by a gnat-like gall-midge (Macrodiplosis niveipila, family Cecidomyiidae) and have the descriptive common name of Gnarled Oak Leaf Midge Galls.

Our warm, wet spring has provided ideal conditions for the rise of a strange looking organism with a scientific name that sounds like a '70s California happening: Nostoc commune. This bizarre organism may look as if an agglomeration of rubbery yellowish-green to bluish-black material is "bubbling-up" in the open spaces in Ohio landscapes as well as gravel driveways.

  A lovely tradition of celebrating diversity (Oslava Květin) was started by Norbert Čapek, a Czech Unitarian, in 1923, with flowers as symbols of the universality of nature and ecumenical love. Start your own flower celebration in your home, for every business meeting, with your customers, sharing the beauty of flowers – especially this time of year: this “lusty month of May” (from Camelot). Everyone bring a flower! Here are a few floral fineries from my home and neighbors.

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I first came across the odd looking handiwork of Hydrangea Leaftier Moth (Family Tortricidae; Olethreutes ferriferana) caterpillars several years ago on its native namesake host in Clifton Gorge in Greene County, OH. Since that time, I've commonly found this leaftier on wild and cultivated hydrangeas at other locations.

Look closely at developing oak leaves for Spiny Oak Sawfly (Periclista albicollis) larvae. The small, light-green, semi-transparent larvae have shiny black head capsules and are covered with rows of forked (bifurcated) spines. Their small size coupled with their coloration allows these larvae to easily blend with their leaf-food background.

Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada spp.) take either 17 or 13 years to complete their development and emerge from the soil en masse as different "broods" in the spring. The only periodical cicada brood that's forecast to emerge this year is Brood VI. However, there is a prediction that we will see an "early emergence" of some members of Brood X this spring even though adults of this brood are not expected to emerge full-force until 2021.

A trip to China often includes a visit to The Great Wall of China, to some part of the 5500 to 13,000 mile collection of fortifications (depending on whether various branches are included).   So, I set out for the Great Wall with my guide Nina during my trip to the Beijing Botanic Gardens for their Crabapple Conference. Nina gassed up a Hyundai and we headed 50 miles northwest and over a half mile in elevation to Badaling (八达岭), the most visited section of the Wall and the first opened to tourists in 1957. From Nixon to Obama, to Nina and me.  

 

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This time of year everyone is anxious to get out and begin planting their vegetable garden. You may have spent the last few months browsing the seed catalogs and dreaming about fresh tomatoes from your garden. Also you may have recently noticed vegetable transplants at your local retailers however this does not necessarily mean it is time to start planting.

Most of my images are of bad things in landscapes. I use these teaching images to illustrate plant threats; sometimes those threats are from people. So-called "volcano mulch" or "mulch mounds" is a good example. That's why I was so thrilled yesterday when I found example after example of absolutely perfect tree mulching at Glenwood Gardens!

Roseslug sawflies were once generally considered only nuisance pests of roses in Ohio. The Common Roseslug Sawfly was most often encountered followed occasionally by the Curled Roseslug. The common roseslug has only one generation and the curled roseslug two generations. These sawflies would come and go so quickly they seldom caused appreciable damage.