It's never too early for tick awareness.

Today, at the Extension Office, a tick sample was brought in for identification.  It was an adult male dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis.  Ticks are blood-feeding parasites.  Three species are medically important in Ohio as a vector of several diseases affecting humans and pets to varying degrees.  The American Dog Tick, along with the deer tick (or black-legged tick) and the lone star tick.  Tick populations have been an increasing problem in Ohio.

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Overwintered European Elm Flea Weevils (Orchestes alni) are attacking emerging elm leaves in southwest Ohio. A close examination will reveal weevils feeding and frolicking (mating) among the newly expanding leaves.

Eastern Tent Caterpillars (ETC) (Malacosoma americanum) caterpillars are accomplished and prolific tent-makers producing highly visible silk nests in the forks of branches. The nests are now large enough to be easily seen in Greater Cincinnati. However, at this point in the season, it appears that populations are highly localized and not widespread.

Conversations among family and friends this week could include dying, hiding and finding "eggs." It is Easter you know. 

 

The eggs that we are talking about in this BYGL Alert are those of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar).  After spending about nine months in the egg mass stage, warmer temperatures are triggering the hatch of the caterpillars in Ohio.  These tan almost felt-like in appearance masses that can be laid anywhere will soon be bursting with 1st instar caterpillars. 

While we are eagerly awaiting the first hatch in NW Ohio,...

 

This Turf-Tip was provided Joe Rimelspach and Todd Hicks with OSU – Plant Pathology and Turfgrass Program.

 

Of the four seasons, this is the “third best time” to seed a lawn. The best is autumn, then winter, followed by spring and the least desirable time is summer. The main challenge with the spring seeding is the large number of weeds (both grassy weeds and broadleaf weeds) that can come up with the grass seed. Seed as early as possible in the spring so new plant can develop a root system before summer heat and dry conditions...

 

Earlier this week, Pamela Sherratt, Turfgrass Specialist in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State University alerted Extension to the potential of some questions coming into the Extension offices about a product, Roundup for Lawns from clientele across the state.    

 

A walk through the aisles of the pest management area of a garden center this spring may cause some consumers to take a second look. While Roundup has been around for a long time, Roundup for Lawns is a new product that has recently hit the shelves. The same name and...

I found Elm Leafminer Sawfly (Fenusa ulmi) adults flying around their namesake host yesterday in southwest Ohio. The emergence of this leafmining sawfly was predicted in my part of the state by accumulated GDD (219) and phenological indicators such as the full bloom of common chokecherry. This also means there is little doubt that Birch Leafminer Sawfly (F. pusilla) and Hawthorn Leafminer Sawfly (Profenusa canadensis) adults are on the wing.

I came across an infestation of Juniper Scale (Carulaspis juniperi, Family Diaspididae) Sunday while doing some unconditional pruning (e.g. whacking back!) of junipers in the Boggscape. The discovery provided great samples to share, examine, and discuss with participants in the first 2017 Southwest Ohio BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About held yesterday at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum.

The starting point for yesterday's Southwest Ohio BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About held at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum was inadvertently located in the middle of a very busy ground-nesting bee bailiwick. This sparked an impromptu discussion on the behavior and importance of these native pollinators.

In architecture,  a term often used is form (ever) follows function.  This was coined and practiced by the 20th century U.S. architect Louis Sullivan and inspired, for example, Frank Lloyd Wright.

 

  A loose form of this emerged during a recent class trip for the Horticulture and Crop Science 3410 class (Sustainable Landscape Maintenance). We had just visited the wonderful “Building Ohio State: From Forest to the Renovation of Thompson Library” exhibit on the first floor of the magnificent OSU Thompson Library (exhibit until May 14) on the Main Campus in Columbus...