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Turf Team Times, 03.15.2024

It's Back - The Turf Team Times (TTT), the 1st seasonal update of all things turf, has been posted for 2024. This first edition was recorded on Friday, March 15, 2024 and will continue to be bi-weekly, until the end of May, and then will transition to a weekly format.
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Authors
Amy Stone
Tyler Carr
Ed Nangle

Growing Degree Days (GDD) and Plant Phenology, Summary February 2024

The Plant Phenology and Growing Degree Day (GDD) posts and impacts have been a Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine (BYGL) staple for years. GDD will continue to be an important part of the blog written to assist green industry professionals, Extension professionals, Extension volunteers, and people with a passion for plants and pests too.
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Authors
Amy Stone

It's Time to Start Seeds

As I sit here writing this article, looking out at the cold rainy day, I’m dreaming of warm days in the garden. March 19th will be the first day of spring. With that being said, it’s time to start thinking about planning vegetable gardens. If starting a new garden, soil testing the site where the garden will go is a good idea. If it is an existing garden and the soil has never been tested, now would be a good time to think about testing it. Your local OSU Extension office can help you with soil testing.

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Authors
Carri Jagger

Growing Degree Days (GDD) and Plant Phenology, January 2024 Summary

 

The Plant Phenology and Growing Degree Day (GDD) posts and impacts have been a Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine (BYGL) staple for years. GDD will continue to be an important part of the blog written to assist green industry professionals, Extension professionals, Extension volunteers, and people with a passion for plants and pests too.

 

While there isn't usually a lot to report as part of the January summary, members of the OSU Buckeye Environmental Horticulture Team (BEHT) have been discussing the...

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Authors
Amy Stone
Erik Draper

Another exotic insect ?? in Ohio???… Olive Bark Beetle (OBB) – Phloeotribus scarabaeoides

Olive bark beetle, Phloeotribus scarabaeoides is a beetle (Order Coleoptera) in the family Curculionidae and subfamily Scolytinae. This pest is widely distributed in Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It has been reported in California in 2016. This pest causes significant damage to olive trees. Here is how this beetle arrived in Ohio, and its current status.
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Authors
Suranga Basnagala
Kayla Perry
Francesca Rotondo

Title: The C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic: a resource for dealing with plant and pests related issues.

The C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (PPDC) moved to The CFAES Wooster Campus about a year ago. We continue to provide diagnostic services and support for plant and pest-related problems for a wide range of stakeholders.
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Authors
Francesca Rotondo
Suranga Basnagala

Taxonomic challenges in the identification process, an example - Alder Sawfly, Nematus erythrogaster

The OSU C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (PPDC) received a sample of sawfly larvae from Holden Arboretum collected on a species of alder (Alnus spp.) in June 2023. The larvae were eating alder leaves when they were collected by the propagator at Holden Forests and Gardens.
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Authors
Suranga Basnagala
Kayla Perry

Winter Virtual Book Clubs For Gardeners, Nature Lovers and Those With a Passion for Plants

Does the recent weather have you wanting to grab a book and spend some time indoors? Check out three upcoming Virtual Book Clubs this winter. Each month in January, February and March, participants will be discussing a specific book. Discussion will occur using Zoom and will last 60 minutes on Monday evenings from 7:00 - 8:00 pm.
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Authors
Amy Stone

OSU Extension Collaborates with the North American Pawpaw Growers Association at Mansfield Correctional Institution

On a bright, sunny Thursday morning in October, ANR Extension Educators, Carrie Brown of Fairfield County and Dan Lima of Belmont County, teamed up with the North American Pawpaw Growers Association (NAPGA) and the Ohio Nut Growers Association (ONGA) to establish a grove of pawpaw trees at the Mansfield Correctional Institution.
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Authors
Carrie Brown

Don't Miss This TOTAL Landscape Learning Experience

Time and again I have heard, “I miss the old OSU Nursery Short Course where we could talk about landscape plants, bugs, diseases and what might impact our industry next!”  Well, stop dreaming of the good old days and get back into understanding potential future landscape plants and challenges!!  A great landscape educational experience can be discovered at the Ohio State University Short Course.  Why call it the OSU Short Course??  Because the OSU Short Course is exactly that— a short, intensive course of educational classes and updates that are all landscape related!...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Autumn Beauty Abounds

What a spectacular year for fall color! From red maples reminiscent of a sailor’s sunset and gingko as bright as the sun shining on them, it’s difficult not to become entranced by the majestic display tendered by changing autumn leaves. Offering an explosion for the senses, what we are really experiencing is chemistry happing right before our eyes! Let’s take a closer look at some of this year’s highlights.
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Authors
Carrie Brown
Curtis E. Young

White Pine Aphids: Is it the Last Hurrah for the “Year of the Aphid”?

There have been 7 BYGL Alerts this season dedicated to aphids on trees and shrubs. This will be the 8th. The unusual abundance of aphids this season caused us to declare 2023 “The Year of the Aphid” in an Alert posted on June 16 [see “The Year of the Aphid. Is Help on the Way?”].
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Peony Clean-Up in Landscape Aisle 1

Beautiful peony displays are sometimes marred by several diseases with the most notorious being Peony Leaf Blotch caused by the fungus Graphiopsis chlorocephala (formerly Cladosporium paeoniae). The fungus is also responsible for producing other diseases on peonies with different common names depending on the symptoms.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Fall Leaf Colors Intensify in NE Ohio

One of my favorite times of year has arrived and the colors of leaves have begun to change.  Some trees are a riot of colors while others are just downright… blah-blah.  So, let’s review the science behind why leaves change colors and then maybe you can forecast your own potential fall spectrum of color chances!

 

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Authors
Erik Draper

They’re Not Giant, Mutant Mosquitoes: They’re Crane Flies

Participants in the BYGL Zoom Inservice this past week reported that swarms of crane flies (order Diptera, family Tipulidae) are bellowing up from lawns in Ohio, particularly in the northern part of the state. These large mosquito-like dipterans are also buzzing porch lights and may occasionally find their way into homes to terrorize the occupants.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Pits of Doom and Despair

Pit-trapping antlions (Myrmeleon immaculatus, family Myrmeleontidae) have long been one of my favorite insects. My fascination is shared with fellow antlion enthusiast, Ron Wilson (Natorp's Nursery Outlet & Landscaping, Mason, OH), who has had a thriving private stock of antlions in his home landscape for years. He always lets me know when pits appear meaning the antlions are starting to roar.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Armed by Nature: Thorns, Spines, and Prickles

My fellow Plant Geeks would agree, what plants lack in biceps, they make up for in some pretty remarkable adaptations including the trait of being “armed”. In many species, these plant structures play the first line of defense against threats posed by insects, mammalian browsers, and hasty gardeners, such as myself, who have recklessly forgotten to don gloves. And I would bet my pawpaw harvest that you too have been victim to this passive confrontation. Of course, I am referring to those pointy protrusions that produce temporary, yet sometimes excruciating, pain (and likely a couple of 4-...
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Authors
Carrie Brown

Box Tree (Boxwood) Moth: New Detection, What to Look For, and Management

Box Tree Moth (BTM) is a non-native pest of boxwoods. It was first confirmed in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) in late June. Yesterday, the ODA announced that a BTM sighting has been confirmed in Montgomery County (Dayton Area). Coupled with the earlier detection in southwest Ohio, the two BTM sites are the southernmost in North America.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Ponds, Wildlife, Woodlands…Oh My! Join us at the Gwynne Conservation Area, September 19-21

You are likely familiar with OSU’s Farm Science Review, a 3-day educational tradeshow that features the latest in agricultural production. But do you know that just across the road, accessible by wagons running throughout each day, is a literal playground for natural resource enthusiasts? Welcome to the Gwynne Conservation Area! The Gwynne is a 67-acre conservation area where conservation demos, talks, displays, and tours are held during Farm Science Review, September 19-21, in London, Ohio. Featuring a pond, wetland, tallgrass prairie, stream, pawpaw orchard, forage plots, and a wagon tour...
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Authors
Carrie Brown

Beech Blight Aphids Got Talent

The talented and uniquely entertaining Beech Blight Aphids (Grylloprociphilus imbricator) are taking the stage in Ohio. Some of the best line dancing can be seen in Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve in Wayne County, OH. Jim Chatfield (OSU Extension Emeritus) and I observed chorus lines of beech blight aphids shaking their derrieres on their namesake host in the Preserve last week.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

OGIA/OSU Greater Cincinnati BYGL! Diagnostic Walkabout Highlight: The Redbud Leaffolder

Participants in the OGIA/OSU Greater Cincinnati BYGL! Diagnostic Walkabout held this past Monday at the Boone County Arboretum observed the unusual damage caused by the Redbud Leaffolder (Fascista cercerisella, family Gelechiidae) on its namesake host (Cercis canadensis). Populations of this native moth appear to be sporadic and highly localized in Ohio this season.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Ohio Diagnostic Workshop Highlight: White Masses on the Stems of Redbuds

During yesterday’s 83rd Ohio Diagnostic Workshop held in Secrest Arboretum, OSU CFAES, Wooster, OH., participants found snowy-white masses on the stems of redbuds (Cercis canadensis). The agglomerations could easily be mistaken for mealybugs, felt scales, or soft scales, particularly cottony scales.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Kentucky Coffeetree

Kentucky Coffeetree, Gymnocladus dioicus, is a native tree with excellent adaptability for many sites.  It is the only species of its genus, collectively known as coffeetrees, in North America.
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Authors
Ashley Kulhanek
Ann Chanon

Calling All Pawpaw Producers and Partisans!

Are you a pawpaw lover or interested in learning more about our largest native edible fruit! Join us for Pawpaw Day at the 2023 Farm Science Review! On Tuesday, September 19, The Gwynne Conservation area is teaming up with the North American Pawpaw Growers Association to bring you a fun-filled day packed with pawpaw talks, walks, demos, and tastings! Events run throughout the day, 10:30am-3:00pm, and will be located at the Gwynne Conservation Area at Farm Science Review. Come for the pawpaw ice cream, stay for the educational fun!
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Authors
Carrie Brown

OGIA / OSU: Greater Cincinnati BYGL! Diagnostic Walkabout at the Boone County Arboretum

The Walk-Abouts are for Green Industry professionals (arborists, landscapers, turf managers, nursery managers, etc.). Participants look at plants, plant pests, plant diseases, landscape designs, and other points of interest. Discussions focus on plant problem diagnostics, plant health management, plant selection, and sustainable landscape designs.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Dodder's Tangled Tale

Dodders are parasitic plants belonging to the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. They were formerly placed in the dodder family, Cuscutaceae, with only one genus in the family, Cuscuta. I think it’s fitting that dodders belong to the Convolvulaceae family because the taxonomy for this group of plants has been convoluted.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Ohio Green Industry Association Announces Midwest Green Conference Dates and Early Registration Deadline

This year's Midwest GREEN event will be held on November 6 and 7, 2023 at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Midwest GREEN is an event of the Ohio Green Industry Association (OGIA). Early Bird Registration rates will increase after August 31, 2023. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

USDA Publishes Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Update

USDA works closely with Federal and State officials to eradicate Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) using a combined approach that includes imposing quarantines, conducting tree inspections, removing infested trees and sometimes high-risk host trees, using a systemic insecticide when appropriate, researching best practices and new eradication methods, and involving and informing residents. The following provides information about current infestations. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

The Buzz on Rough Oak Bulletgalls

Rough Oak Bulletgalls induced by the gall-wasp, Disholcaspis quercusmamma (family Cynipidae) are splitting through the bark and rising on the stems of oaks in the white oak group in southwest Ohio. The galls are most commonly found on bur (Quercus macrocarpa), white oak (Q. alba), and swamp white oak (Q. bicolor).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Hold the Latte and Pass Me a Maté

In the central to southern parts of South America, you will find a unique species of holly that not only grows wild as an understory shrub but also has a large economic impact on countries in its native region. Ilex paraguariensis, commonly referred to as yerba maté (maté for short), is prized not primarily for ornamental reasons but as a caffeinated refreshment!
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Authors
Carrie Brown

Lucy In The Sky With….FERNS?!

While hiking the Atlantic Forest of South America, I relished the sight of mosses, orchids, bamboos, and bromeliads. However, my favorite experience – my once-in-a-blue-moon-moment – my bucket list item – that one thing I could not wait to see – was a fern. But not just any fern. A fern in the air. With a trunk. And one heck of a story to tell. A Tree Fern.
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Authors
Carrie Brown

Floral Fear Returns... JUST RELAX!!

This is the time of year that concerned citizens call into the office asking what they can do to help magnolias or rhododendrons in their landscape to not die.  When asked what is happening to lead them to believe the plants are going to die, the plant symptoms indicating imminent death turn out to be exactly the same.   Concern is expressed for plants that previously bloomed this Spring and are right now beginning to bloom again!  This behavior has somehow evolved into a mythical belief that it is a last-ditch effort by the plant to make seeds so that its progeny can...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Be Alert to European Paper Wasps

European paper wasps have presented a conundrum over the past several years in Ohio. After becoming the dominant wasp in Ohio during the 2000s, they all but disappeared in the 2010s. However, they are now making a dramatic comeback and their odd nesting habits can put them in conflict with people.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

An Early Abundance of Stingers

Wasp nests have been with us since the beginning growing season; however, they typically don’t appear on our radar until late in the season when the colonies reach their zenith. But this year, Extension offices are already receiving complaints about wasps; particularly yellowjackets. It appears that yellowjacket populations are running high thus far this season producing stinging commentaries about close encounters.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Why do Trees Bleed?

Sap flow from a tree sometimes referred to people as ‘Bleeding’ is most commonly caused by an injury or stress. Similar to people, when trees sustain an injury, they can bleed.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Lousy with Lace Bugs

Lace Bugs (order Hemiptera; family Tingidae) are small plant-sucking insects so named because of the lace-like pattern of the veins and membranes in their wings which are held flat over their body. Although most species found in Ohio live on the lower leaf surface of their host plants, there are a few notable exceptions to this rule.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Beth Scheckelhoff

Christmas in July!

It’s not to early to think Christmas. At least that’s what Ohio Christmas Tree Association members thought when the entered trees for judging at The Ohio State Fair.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Seeing Spots in Ohio

Last week, Jonathon Shields with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) reporting seeing the first spotted lanternfly adult in Ohio this year. The observation was made in Cincinnati, Ohio in an already identified infestation in southwest Ohio.

 

Spotted Lanternfly Adult Photo Credit: Amy Stone, OSU Extension - Lucas...
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Authors
Amy Stone

A Complex Story: Disappearing Tomato Leaves, a Tiny Wasp, and a Virus.

At some point along the gardening learning curve, most backyard vegetable gardeners will confront a head-scratching tomato conundrum. Leaves are eaten and green fruit is nibbled high up on the plants. Tiny, black droppings litter the leaves and ground. A thorough search of the plants yields no culprits. Tiny flying rabbits?
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Weird Galls on Willow

Willow Pinecone Galls, with their faux seed scales, bear a striking resemblance to pine cones, particularly when the galls darken during the winter. The galls are induced by the so-called Willow Pinecone Gall Midge, Rabdophaga strobiloides (family Cecidomyiidae), to house, nourish, and protect a single fly larva (maggot) located deep within the gall.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

What The Yell-Ow... I've Been SLIMED!

As I pulled into my driveway and glanced around the Drapescape, I noted brilliant yellow patches of flowers had appeared.  They seemed to be scattered around, extremely low to the ground and close to the base of a rose bush.  As I got closer to the yellow patches, I started laughing because I realized that had just been SLIMED!  I had what is commonly referred to as dog vomit fungus slime mold on the mulch.  To be accurate, this slime mold, Fuligo septica, is commonly known as “scrambled egg slime” and I could definitely see how it got its name.  Fuligo...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Annual Cicadas and Their Intimidating Wasp Nemesis

During this week’s Tuesday morning BYGL Zoom Inservice, Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wirt County) reported that he heard the first Annual Cicadas (family Cicadidae) singing in northwest Ohio. Curtis noted they are about 1 week overdue since he normally hears them in his neck of the woods over the 4th of July Weekend. The cicadas are also singing in the southwest part of the state.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Coneflower Conundrums: Spiky Hairdos, Freaky Flowers, and Dangling Heads

Coneflowers are showing symptoms of three problems: tufted growth from the coneflower rosette mite; distorted flowers and growth from ash yellows; and dangling flower heads from the sunflower headclipping weevil. With the exception of ash yellows, none of these problems represent a serious threat to coneflowers.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

What to Look for with Box Tree (Boxwood) Moth

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced this past week that Box Tree Moth (BTM) (Cydalima perspectalis, family Crambidae) had been confirmed in Hamilton and Clermont counties in southwest Ohio. The location is near where the two counties meet Warren and Butler counties. It’s the first time this non-native boxwood (Buxus spp.) defoliator has been found in Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Ashley Kulhanek
Amy Stone

Box Tree (Boxwood) Moth Confirmed in Southwest Ohio

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has announced that the Box Tree Moth (BTM) (Cydalima perspectalis (family Crambidae) has been confirmed in southwest Ohio near the borders of Hamilton and Clermont Counties. This is the first time this non-native pest of boxwoods (Buxus spp.) has been confirmed in Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Amy Stone
Ashley Kulhanek

Ohio Woodlands, Water and Wildlife Summer Newsletter

Ohio State University Extension's Ohio Woodland Stewards Program publishes the Woodlands, Water and Wildlife newsletter. The Summer Issue is out and includes the following articles: Bats in Building Research Request; Developing Small Woodland Management Service Providers from the Green Industry; The Unwanted Invaders - An Invasive Species Update; Future Foresters: Camp Canopy; and a list of upcoming classes and webinars.
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Authors
Amy Stone
Marne Titchenell
Kathy Smith

Beech Leaf Disease Update

Recently we received a beech leaf disease (BLD) update that was shared by Thomas Macy, Forest Health Program Manager with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry including a couple maps. Additionally, background information has been added as part of this BYGL Alert to provided more information about BLD in case readers are not aware of this situation, or would like a background refresher. 
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Authors
Amy Stone
Joe Boggs

Where Are The Lightning Bugs? Soon Friends!

Last summer, a neighbor asked why we don’t see Lightening Bugs anymore. This summer, there are already posts on social media asking about the lightning bugs and fireflies. Each of these concerns were about the lack of our beloved lightning bugs. Last year we ended up with beautiful displays, and there is no reason to think they're gone this year. Let's learn some more...
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Authors
Ashley Kulhanek
Eric Barrett

Is Emerald Ash Borer on the Rebound in Ohio?

The lead image for this Alert of an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis, family Buprestidae) adult was taken on June 1, 2023, in Butler County, OH. According to our Ohio State Phenology Calendar, 50% of adult emergence occurs when the accumulated Growing Degree Days reach 1000. As of today, the accumulated GDD for Cincinnati is 998.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Amy Stone

Sticky, Dripping Tuliptrees

2023 is shaping up to be “The Year of the Aphid.” At least, in southwest Ohio. I’ve already posted BYGL Alerts on aphids titled, Sticky, Dripping European Beech, and Sticky, Dripping Oaks. This Alert will be the third in the “Sticky, Dripping” series.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Bothersome Birch Blighters

Dave Bienemann, Municipal Arborist/Utility Forester, City of Hamilton, alerted me to two pests appearing on river birch (Betula nigra) in southwest Ohio. Dusky Birch Sawfly (Croesus latitarsus) larvae are munching on the leaves while Spiny Witchhazel Aphids (Hamamelistes spinosus) are producing raised ribs or "corrugations" on the upper leaf surface.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Oak Treehoppers are Good Mothers

Participants in last week’s OSU Extension/OGIA Diagnostic Walk-About held in Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati came across an aggregation of Oak Treehopper (Platycotis vittata) nymphs on a mature white oak (Quercus alba). This treehopper is one of the more colorful members of the Membracidae family and behavioral studies have revealed a level of maternal care that’s unusual for a non-social insect.
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Leaflet Drop on Ash

Native ash trees in southwest Ohio are showing tell-tale symptoms of Ash Anthracnose. The disease is produced by the fungus, Plagiostoma fraxini (syn. Gnomoniella fraxini). As the specific epithet implies, the pathogen is specific to members of the Fraxinus genus.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Leaf Drop on Sugar Maple

The leaf-shedding handiwork of the Maple Petiole Borer (Caulocampus acericaulis, family Tenthredinidae) is becoming evident in southwest Ohio. This non-native sawfly was introduced into the United States from Europe. Although the sawfly prefers sugar maples (Acer saccharum), other maples may occasionally be infested.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Sticky, Dripping European Beech

I'm a fan of beech (Fagus spp., family Fagaceae) from American beech (F. grandifolia) to European beech (F. sylvatica) to beechwood-aged potations (F. beerlignumia). Members of the genus have long been considered relatively free of serious insect pest and disease problems. Unfortunately, beech bark disease and the enigmatic beech leaf disease are changing that perception.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

No Mow May in Full Swing………So what’s wrong with ‘No Mow May’?

Lawns are greening up and growing like crazy. You may be tempted to employ the technique titled ‘No Mow May’. But what’s wrong with letting your lawn grow for the whole month of May without cutting it? If you are concerned about the health of your lawn, there’s potentially some downsides to ‘No Mow May’.
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Authors
David Gardner
Thomas deHaas

Twisted Leaves Rock American Elms

The odd-looking leaf-twisting handiwork of Woolly Apple Aphids (Eriosoma lanigerum) is becoming evident on newly emerging leaves of American elms (Ulmus americana, ‘Princeton’) in southwest Ohio. ‘Princeton’ is an old cultivar first propagated by Princeton Nursery in New Jersey in 1922. The cultivar was later found to be resistant to the fungal pathogens behind Dutch Elm Disease (DED).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

New FactSheet - Native Trees: Creating Living Landscapes for Birds, Butterflies, Bees and Other Beneficials

Be sure to check out a new Ohio State University Extension's FactSheet entitled, Native Trees: Creating Living Landscape for Birds, Butterflies, Bees and Other Beneficials. This FactSheet can be found online on the Ohioline website at: https://ohioline.osu.edu/ Or, the direct link to the FactSheet is: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5815
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Authors
Amy Stone

Roly-Poly Galls are Rolling Along

The ball-like Roly-Poly galls, produced under the direction of the gall wasp, Dryocosmus quercuspalustris (family Cynipidae), are one of the most unusual galls found on oaks in Ohio. The hollow galls are around 1/2" in diameter and reflect the colors of newly expanding leaves. Indeed, the gall-wasps hijack leaf tissue to form their galls.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Sticky, Dripping Maples

Late last week, I came across plantings of red maples (Acer rubrum) in a commercial landscape in southwest Ohio that were dripping sticky, sugary, honeydew; the calling card of phloem-sucking insects. A close look revealed the trees were festooned with Calico Scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) and European Fruit Lecanium (Parthenolecanium corni).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Miner Bees are Major Pollinators. So, Bee Nice.

The majority of bee species nest below ground with around 70% excavating their own nests. Indeed, nesting in the ground is considered the ancestral nesting behavior of all bees. Although there may be some “ground rules” regarding how we refer to these solitary bees, I’m never certain if we should call them, “ground-nesting,” “soil mining,” or something else.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Drooping Buckeye Leaves: It’s Not Freeze/Frost Damage

There have been numerous reports thus far this season of damage to trees and shrubs attributed to the deep diving temperatures that occurred in December during Christmas week. However, wilted, darkened buckeye (Aesculus glabra) leaves appearing randomly among healthy leaves isn’t winter injury; it’s the handiwork of the Buckeye Petiole Borer (Zeiraphera claypoleana, family Tortricidae).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Horned Oak Galls are Living Up to Their Common Name

The “horns” that give the Horned Oak Gall its common name are bursting to the surface in southwest Ohio. The horns make the galls look like a miniature version of a medieval martial arts weapon. The woody stem galls were formed under the direction of the gall-wasp, Callirhytis quercuscornigera (syn. Callirhytis cornigera (Family Cynipidae)).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

If I Have Peach Blooms Now- I'll Have Fruit...Right?

After that brutal punch of cold weather ripping through Northeast Ohio this past December 23rd through December 27th, inquiring minds want to know if we’ll have peaches.  How cold it was that night depends upon location, but official records indicate that Cleveland, Ohio dropped from the daytime high of 43°F to -4°F on the 23rd !!  Then on December 24th the daytime high was 13°F and the low that night was -1°F!!  There were two nights in January that had lows of 16°F, followed by two nights in February with lows of 12°F and one night in March with a low of 18°F.  So, will...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Sneaky Winter Annuals

The annual deep purple bloom of Purple Deadnettle and Henbit in Ohio farm fields and a purple haze rising over lawns may conjure a nostalgic pop culture smash-up. These non-native showy weeds belong to the mint family, Lamiaceae, as evidenced by their square stems which is a family trait.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Zippy Green Beetles

Six-spotted tiger beetles (Cicindela sexguttata) are zipping around forest trails in Ohio. During our weekly BYGL Zoom Inservice this past Tuesday, Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) reported seeing adults out and about in northwest Ohio and I’ve been spotting beetles in the southwest part of the state.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

An Ohio Kissing Bug

The native kissing bug nymph (immature) shown in the lead photograph for this BYGL Alert was given to me last week by a couple who live in eastern Hamilton County, OH. The nymph was collected inside their home. The scientific name for the bug is Triatoma sanguisuga.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Return of "The Blob"

April showers are bringing forth rubbery yellowish-green or bluish-black blobs of the cyanobacterium, Nostoc commune (Nc). The ballooning blobs are the hydrated form of this ancient organism. Most of the time, it looks like a black, crusty substance devoid of life.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Poison Hemlock is No Joke

Poison hemlock is currently in the growth stages in southern Ohio that are susceptible to early-season management options. Seeds have germinated and last season's rosettes are beginning to "bolt."  Eliminating these plants now can significantly reduce infestations.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Reminder - Tick Update, Part of Emerald Ash Borer University, March 23 at 11 am

Dr. MCDermott has been an annual presenter at EAB University for his informative and timely updates on ticks, which can have an adverse impact on many facets of outdoor activities for animals and humans. Join us live for this webinar on March 23 at 11:00 a.m., Eastern time by registering at EAB Network - http://emeraldashborer.info/EABU
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Authors
Amy Stone

Bad Looking Boxwoods

Boxwood leafminer damage is already becoming apparent. However, the symptoms are highly variable and may be mistaken for winter injury, a “leaf blotch” disease, or something else. Birds seeking meat morsels in the form of leafminer larvae can produce an entirely different type of strange-looking damage.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Ohio Green Industry Association (OGIA) Presents 2023 Ohio Diagnostic Walk-Abouts for Green Industry Professionals

Learn about the art and science of scouting, diagnosing and controlling of landscape pests, all while earning credits at the same time. These walks are geared to professionals in the green industry including landscapers, garden center employees, nursery growers, arborists and landscape designers and architects. These interactive, hands-on, in-the-moment events are unique alternatives to traditional classroom sessions or passive webinars. Attendees are invited to ask questions and take pictures along the way to customize their educational experience. Walks are led by Retired OSU Extension...
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Authors
Amy Stone
Joe Boggs

2023 Woodland, Water and Wildlife Conference - Early Bird Registration Ends February 10

This year's annaul Ohio Woodland, Water and Wildlife Conference in just around the corner on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at the Mid-Ohio Conference Center, 890 West Fourth Street, Mansfield, OH 44906. Save $20 with the early bird registration deadline that is this Friday, February 10, 2023.
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Authors
Marne Titchenell

Growing Degree Day (GDD) Summary, January 2023

A staple in the Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL), The Plant Phenology and Growing Degree Day Posts will continue to be a part of this year's Alerts as promised in a January Alert (January 2, 2023). 

 

As temperatures warm, we will begin accumulating growing degree day (GDD) units. You will see those updates in the BYGL, but there is no better way to track GDD and ultimately the plant blooms and insect activity on your own. Be sure to save this website ( https://weather.cfaes.osu.edu/gdd/default.asp ) as a...

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Authors
Amy Stone

Crimes against Trees.

Safety around large trees is important. Cutting heavy branches seems to make sense. But in the long run, the trees become even more hazardous to people and property when trees are topped.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

New Year Brings Beginning of the 2023 Plant Phenology and Growing Degree Day Calendar

A staple in the Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL), The Plant Phenology and Growing Degree Day posts will continue to be a part of this year's Alerts. While there isn't a lot to report currently, the value of today's post shows that no matter where in Ohio you are from - north to south, or east to west - we all begin at zero. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

OK to prune OAKS. Now’s the time to schedule!

As we approach winter, and the Christmas season, here’s another thing to add to your list; Pruning your Oaks this Winter. There are several great reasons but the most important is to reduce the risk to your trees from contracting Oak Wilt. Let’s start with “What is Oak Wilt and why is now a good time to prune Oaks?”
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Authors
Thomas deHaas
Amy Stone

Buying a Live Christmas Tree this year! What to do before I put it in the stand?

It’s the time of year to start thinking about Christmas. And with Christmas comes decorations. And decorations mean Trees. Most growers and retailers will begin selling the live trees the day after Thanksgiving. So, what can you do to keep your live tree as fresh as possible?
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Feeling a Little Parched, Anyone?

If your part of the state is anything like Fairfield County (southeast of Columbus), it has been quite some time since your last good soaker. In fact, in Lancaster, Ohio, where Fairfield County OSU Extension is headquartered, we haven’t had a single shower measuring greater than 0.2” since October 13th! It’s hard to walk outside without kicking up a bit of dust.

 

How long has it been since you’ve had rain? One good tool you can use to figure this out is a database called the ...

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Authors
Carrie Brown

Seven-Son-Flower is Still STUNNING!

 

Seven-son-flower or Heptacodium miconioides (HM) can be a large, rangy, irregular appearing, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub, but it can also be trained into a delightful, single-trunked tree.  HM typically grows 15-25 feet in height at maturity with a 10' spread.  As stems and trunks mature, the light brown to tan bark begins to peel off and shed in long strips creating plant interest, especially in the winter.  This incredible plant is in the Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family and its name is derived from the flowers it bears; specifically, Hepta...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Box Tree Moth Identified In 'The State Up North', Information Shared From Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)

This BYGL Alert is an update on the box tree moth (BTM) (Cydalima perspectalis). On May 28, 2021, BYGL contributor Joe Boggs authored an alert about this invasive species that was on the radar, and continues to be on the radar for Ohio. The alert can be found at: https://bygl.osu.edu/index.php/node/1792
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Authors
Amy Stone

Christmas! Trees! Too Early?? Not if you are a grower! Or an Early shopper!

It’s not too early about starting to think about your live tree. Many “Cut Your Own” operations are going to a pre-tagging or reservation system. Time to go online to your local grower and see how their operation works. Most farms will be open the day after Thanksgiving, which is November 25th, 2022, this year. As in most things, the earlier you are, the better the selection.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Seeing is Believing: Ohio State University Extension Embarks on a Spotted Lanternfly Study Tour

Like many other states in the Midwest, Ohio is preparing for imminent infestations of Spotted Lanternfly (SLF). This invasive planthopper, first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, poses a threat to the fruit production and plant growth of valuable specialty crops, most notably grapevines. Though infestations have already been confirmed in several counties throughout Ohio, history tells us that additional infestations will continue to appear and grow. Many eastern states have already been contending with this nuisance for the past few years and possess...

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Authors
Carrie Brown

Where has all the fall color gone?

Peak Fall Color is dependent on temperature, moisture, wind, and weather. We may have passed the peak this past weekend, but if you look closely, you can still see a great show from some of the later arrivals like oaks, though maybe not a vibrant as the bright oranges and reds of the Sugar Maples, but they are still very beautiful. Keep your eyes open!!
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Gorgeous Fall Leaf Colors Dominate NE Ohio Views

Once again, almost like a fall ritual, everyone wants you to predict if it will be a good year for leaf colors and when will leaf colors change.  As always, I offer solid scientific responses to their questions…“Yes, it could be a good year for colors” and “Leaf colors will change when they are good and ready!”  So, let’s review the science as to why leaves change colors and then maybe you can forecast your own spectrum of “fall color” chances.

 

...
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Authors
Erik Draper
Ann Chanon

Emerald Ash Borer University Kicks-Off Fall Season of Invasive Species Topics

Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) is a collaboration among Michigan State University, Purdue University and Ohio State University, with support from the United States Department of Agiculture's Forest Service (USDA FS). The EABU team will be offering three webinars this fall. Each program is free, but participants must register to receive the program link. Live sessions are recorded and links to the recordings are available on the Emerald Ash Borer University website at: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/
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Authors
Amy Stone

Weather Experts Are Cautioning Our First Frost (Freeze) May Arrive This Weekend

The calendar has turned to October, and with it, harvest and fall activities will accelerate over the next few weeks. We have already experienced a few chilly nights this past week with patchy frost in some areas, but when do we typically see our first freeze conditions? This first (last) official freeze is defined as the first fall (spring) day where the overnight low reaches 32°F.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Plant of the Week - Pokeweed

A weed, or not a weed? Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is a native herbaceous perennial that can grow 4 to 9 feet tall. It is considered to be an agressive plant by some because of its ability to self-seed and become weedy in nature. While an adaptable type of plant, it does prefer a medium moisture, well drained site in full sun to partial shade. It does prefer and will perform better in a consistently moist soil, it can tolerate short periods of drought.
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Authors
Amy Stone
Curtis E. Young

What’s Eatin’ Sedum?

Brightly colored flea beetles feeding on stonecrop (family Crassulaceae) in southwest Ohio were first reported in the BYGL in 2011. The leaf and stem damage caused by both the adults and larvae was so severe on Orpine (Hylotelephium telephium (synonym Sedum telephium)) ‘Autumn Joy’ it was difficult to identify the plants as sedum.
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Joe Boggs

Peonies Have Measles... What The Heck??

I was outside strolling through the Drapescape enjoying the colors and scents of flowers, when suddenly, I noticed there appeared to be spots on the leaves of the peonies.  I just had to take a closer look, of course, being the plant diagnostic devotee that I am!   The symptoms were so classic and marvelous that I had to take a few moments to just admire them!  This disease is called a plethora of names, like peony blotch, red spot, stem spot, leaf blotch disease and finally, peony measles!  The causal fungus, Graphiopsis chlorocephala, was formerly known as ...

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Authors
Erik Draper
Joe Boggs

Tribble Troubles?

On October 1, 2020, I posted a BYGL Alert titled, “Are Oaks Raining Tribbles?”  The Alert focused on small, fuzzy, tan to reddish-brown to deep-red leaf galls detaching from oaks in Ohio, primarily in the northern part of the state.
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Joe Boggs

Ambush Bugs: A Pollinator Peril

I posted a BYGL Alert earlier today about dramatic insect pollinator activity on Late-Flowering Thoroughwort (Eupatorium serotinum, family Asteraceae). I didn’t mention in the Alert that lurking within the flower clusters were numerous Jagged Ambush Bugs (Phymata spp., family Reduviidae) intent on snagging a few plant pollinators.
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Joe Boggs
Pollinator Plant of the Week: Eupatorium serotinum boggs.47@osu.edu Fri, 09/16/2022 - 11:10
I commonly snap pictures of plant pollinators, but I can’t recall ever revisiting a specific plant because of its strong attraction to insects. However, that changed with Late-Flowering Thoroughwort (Eupatorium serotinum, family Asteraceae).
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Joe Boggs

Turfgrass Times, 09.09.2022

Be sure to check out this week's Turfgrass Times created by the OSU Turfgrass Team. This recording is a little bit different than the normal update as it includes the timely updates followed by a live portion with industry professionals.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Spotted Lanternfy - If You Detect It, Collect It!

We are hearing some mixed messages when it comes to the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), and want to provide some clarification from the Ohio perspective.  The SLF has been in the news, and definitely making its presence known on social media including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. One thing we are seeing more and more is the message of squishing, squashing, stomping, and smashing this invasive insect.
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Authors
Jennifer Andon
Amy Stone
Thomas deHaas

“Bagworm Season” is Wrapping Up but Bags Will Remain

Common bagworms (family Psychidae) are so-named because the native moth caterpillars live in silk bags festooned with plant debris. It’s the perfect camouflage allowing them to remain undetected until their damage is revealed by their voracious appetites. The “bagworm season” is ending with the caterpillars transitioning from life in a tote bag to life in a sleeping bag.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Nectar Robbing Criminal Activity

Larcenous bees chew holes at the base of tubular floral corollas to practice nectar robbery. Darwin wasn’t the first to write about it. According to the literature, this criminal behavior has been known since 1793 when the German naturalist Christian Sprengel first reported observing bumblebees (Bombus spp.) puncturing flowers with their mandibles.
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Joe Boggs

It’s Dogbane Webworm, Not Fall Webworm

When I first saw the webbed nests of the Dogbane Webworm (Saucrobotys futilalis, family Crambidae) on Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum, family Apocynaceae), I thought the culprits were fall webworms (Hyphantria cunea, family Erebidae). After all, this native moth has a very wide host range and it’s not uncommon to find their nests on herbaceous perennials.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Red-Barked Sycamores at 55 MPH

Recent trips on highways along the Ohio river revealed the so-called Red Bark Phenomenon (RBP) continues on American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). RBP appears as orangish-red to deep red staining on the bark. Vertical streaks are common making trees look like they’re oozing blood.
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Joe Boggs

Fall Webworm Update

This is the second posting on Fall Webworm this season. The first Alert posted on July 27 noted that fall webworm nests are late, but on the rise. However, several significant developments have occurred since that time.
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Joe Boggs

Frilled Leaves Add Aesthetic Value to Black Tupelo

Black tupelo (a.k.a. black gum, sour gum) (Nyssa sylvatica) is one of my favorite native trees. The straight species has horizontal branches sculpted into an attractive pyramidal canopy. Lustrous elliptical dark green leaves display a spectacular range of eye-popping colors in the fall, from orangish-yellow to deep red. The many cultivars offer variations on these themes.
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Joe Boggs

A Minor Leafminer with a Major History

The tiny moth, Ectoedemia platanella (Family Nepticulidae), is generally called the Sycamore Leaf Blotch Miner for the lifestyle of the caterpillars on their namesake host, American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). Although various online references indicate the caterpillar’s host range includes other members of the Platanus genus, I’ve only ever found them on American sycamore.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

An Odd Leaf Gall on Oaks

So-called “Oak Flake Galls” are produced under the direction of a tiny wasp with a big scientific name, Neuroterus quercusverrucarum (syn. N. floccosus, family Cynipidae). The wasp’s host range appears to be confined to oaks belonging to the white oak group.
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Joe Boggs

Bulletgalls Targeting Oaks

Several stem galls on oaks (Quercus spp.) that are produced under the direction of gall wasps (family Cynipidae) are called “bulletgalls” owing to their bullet-like shapes. Two of the most common found in Ohio are Rough Oak Bulletgalls induced by the cynipid wasp, Disholcaspis quercusmamma, and Round Oak Bulletgalls induced by D. quercusglobulus.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Oleander Aphids and Monarchs

Devotees of Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) commonly view Oleander Aphids (Aphis nerii) with disdain. After all, this is the time of the season when we see hordes of the non-native yellow aphids on milkweed (Asclepias spp.) plants "reserved" for monarch butterfly caterpillars. Of course, Mother Nature takes no reservations, even for royalty.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Be Alert to Grass Lace Bug

I was unaware of the existence of the Grass Lace Bug (Leptodictya plana, family Tingidae) until I found a damaging infestation late last week in southwest Ohio on ‘Little Bunny’ dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides, family Poaceae). The normally dark green blades had a bleached-out appearance with some blades turning brown.
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Joe Boggs

A Most Unusual Cricket

While opening the Redbud Leaffolder (Fascista cercerisella) nests that were the subject of the previous BYGL Alert, I made an unusual discovery. Nestled inside one of the folded leaves was a type of cricket that I’d never seen before. A notable characteristic was its extremely long antennae that appeared to wrap around the cricket’s body.
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Joe Boggs

Be Alert to the Redbud Leaffolder

The unusual damage caused by first-generation Redbud Leaffolders on their namesake host is becoming evident in southwest Ohio. Thus far, populations of this native moth appear to be sporadic and highly localized. However, population densities and distribution may change with the appearances of the second and third generations.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

“Torched” Honeylocusts (NOT Black Locusts!)

The nests of first-generation Mimosa Webworm (Homadaula anisocentra, family Galacticidae) are now becoming evident on honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos) in southwest Ohio. Honeylocust is considered the alternate host of this non-native moth in much of the U.S. However, it’s the primary host in Ohio where mimosa trees (a.k.a. silk trees) (Albizia julibrissin) are rare.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Fall Webworms Rise

Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea, family Erebidae) nests are becoming noticeable in southwest Ohio. Their arrival seemed to be unusually late this season until close inspections revealed the nests are housing the red-headed biotype. But more on that later.
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Joe Boggs

Merry Christmas in July!

The Ohio State Fair runs July 27th to August 7, 2022. Prior to the commencement of the fair, The Ohio Christmas Tree Association hosted their annual Christmas Tree Judging contest. Winners will be on display at the fair.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas
Carri Jagger
Ashley Kulhanek
Amy Stone
Kathy Smith

Conehead Beheadings Begin

During this week’s BYGL Zoom Inservice, Beth Scheckelhoff (OSU Extension Putnam County) showed pictures of Sunflower Headclipping Weevil females initiating the slow decapitation of purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea, family Asteraceae) in a mass planting on the OSU Ag campus. Reports of this weevil on coneflowers in Ohio have become an annual event.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Bagworm Damage Becoming Obvious

Common bagworms have been with us for a while. Overwintered bagworm eggs began hatching in southwest Ohio at the end of May (see “Bagworm Eggs are Hatching: The Game’s Afoot!,” June 1, 2022). However, it’s amazing how long these general defoliators can continue to crawl below our radar as they chomp on evergreens and deciduous trees and shrubs before their cumulative damage and size finally make them apparent.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Lace Bug Damage is on the Rise

This is the time of the season when the characteristic chlorotic leaf spot damage (= stippling) from Lace Bugs (order Hemiptera; family Tingidae) that feed on deciduous woody ornamentals as well as a few herbaceous perennials becomes very evident. These small plant-sucking insects are so named because of the lace-like pattern of the veins and membranes in their wings which are held flat over their body.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Trapping for Spotted Lanternfly on Kelleys Island and South Bass Island! Why?

Infestations of Spotted Lanternfly in Cuyahoga, Lorain, and Jefferson Counties have been Scouted and Treated for Spotted Lanternfly. This invasive insect has been hitchhiking on trains coming from Pennsylvania. So why trap on an island in the middle of Lake Erie? One word…..Campers.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Annual Cicadas are Here. What About Their Killers?

During this week’s Tuesday morning BYGL Zoom Inservice, Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wirt County) reported that he heard the first Annual Cicadas (family Cicadidae) this season singing in northwest Ohio over the 4th of July Weekend.  Likewise, I heard my first cicadas in the southwest part of the state this past Friday.

 

Annual cicadas share several behavioral traits with their periodical cicada (Magicicada spp.) cousins.  The nymphs of both types of cicadas develop...

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Sweet Magnolias in NEOhio... Blooming!

Most individuals associate magnolias blooming with early Spring but those are not magnolias that are currently in bloom.  The magnolias blooming which are capturing the attention of NEOhio plant lovers are the lesser noticed Magnolia virginiana commonly called Sweetbay, Laurel or Swamp Magnolia.  Sweetbay Magnolia (SBM) is an excellent native tree that is not nearly as well-known or used as often in landscapes as other magnolias.  The native range of SBM extends mostly along the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains beginning at Long Island and heading south all the...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Scouting and Spraying for Spotted Lanternfly in late June 2022

Multiple partners from Ohio Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture-Division of Forestry, The Ohio State University, Cleveland Metroparks, and USDA – APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) assemble to scout for Spotted Lanternfly in potentially infested areas in and around Cleveland – Cuyahoga County including Mill Creek Metropark, Paramelt, and St Joseph Cemetery. Additionally, and area in Amherst located in Lorain County was inspected and sprayed.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Japanese Beetles are Becoming Evident

Reports of noticeable numbers of Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) were on the rise last week in Ohio. Thus far, population distribution is highly localized. This population pattern has been typical for Japanese beetles in Ohio for many years. A short drive can take you from a location with high numbers to another location with virtually no beetles.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

“Pine Cones” Rise on Willows

Willow Pinecone Galls, with their faux seed scales, bear a striking resemblance to pine cones, particularly when the galls darken during the winter. Of course, pine cones don’t occur on angiosperms, only on gymnosperms. And, a close examination will expose the pine cone ruse with the galls covered in fine hairs; pine cones aren’t hairy.
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Joe Boggs

Coneflower Rosette Mite: Tufted Seed Heads are on the Rise

Tufted flower parts that rise rosette-like from coneflower cones are symptoms of an eriophyid mite (family Eriophyidae) that has yet to be taxonomically categorized, so it has no scientific name or approved common name. However, the mite is generally referred to as the Coneflower Rosette Mite based on the damage that it causes to coneflowers.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

A Kissing Bug in Ohio: Don’t Panic!

This past week, the Kissing Bug Triatoma sanguisuga was identified from images sent to OSU Entomology from a resident in Warren County and to OSU Extension, Butler County, from a resident in that county. This kissing bug was given the approved common name of Bloodsucking Conenose by the Entomological Society of America (ESA).
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Joe Boggs

Why Are My Apples Falling Off?

This is the time of year that is both disappointing and exhilarating for any fruit grower because of the phenomenon called “June drop”.  It is disappointing because of what you thought would be your best apple crop and your dreams of apple crisps and pies galore… suddenly begins to drop off the tree.  But it’s okay because as a fruit grower, you know that most fruit trees will produce many more blooms than are actually needed by the tree to produce a full fruit load.

 

...
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Authors
Erik Draper

Ash “Broccoli” Galls

The bizarre-looking Ash Inflorescence (flower) Galls produced by the eriophyid mite, Aceria fraxiniflora (Syn. Eriophyes fraxiniflora) (family Eriophyidae) are gracing ash trees in Ohio. The growths consist of variably sized clusters of distorted flower parts.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Wild Parsnip: Too Late to Control, Not Too Late To Identify

Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa L., family Apiaceae (previously Umbelliferae)) is in full bloom in Ohio with recent hot temperatures accelerating seed development, particularly in the southern part of the state. This means it’s too late to reduce the seed bank of this highly dangerous non-native invasive weed by targeting flowering plants with herbicides.
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Joe Boggs

Poison Hemlock: TOO LATE!

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is in full flower in much of Ohio with some plants showing signs of senescence in the southern part of the state meaning flowers are mature and seeds will soon follow. This means it’s too late to reduce the seed bank by targeting flowering plants with herbicides or mowing.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Bronze Birch Borer Remains a Threat

Bronze Birch Borer (BBB) (Agrilus anxius) is native to North America and only targets trees belonging to one genus, Betula. Historically, BBB ranged across the northern U.S. and southern Canada which is not coincidently the same range as many of our native birches such as paper birch (B. papyrifera) and gray (grey) birch (B. populifolia).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Holey Havoc... Munched Magnolia Leaves!

I enjoy sitting out on the deck just absorbing the sunshine, watching leaves flutter on my wife’s favorite magnolia, Magnolia X brooklynensis 'Yellow Bird'.  This deciduous tree has an upright, pyramidal form with beautiful three inches high, vase-shaped blooms with butter-yellow petals, which emerge in late spring.  The large elliptical-shaped leaves are 4-8 inches long and 4-6 inches wide.  Suddenly, I was struck by the thought… Hey, just a minute, I can see blue sky through the leaves!  What the heck is going on here?

 ...

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Authors
Erik Draper
Joe Boggs

It Pays to Care for Trees!

Over the past several years, The Ohio State University Extension has partnered with Holden Forests and Gardens to promote the benefits of trees. Using i-tree, calculations can be made on the economic value of trees. Recently, signs we installed on trees at Kelleys Island State Park.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Common Milkweed and its Doppelgänger

This can be a particularly tough time of the year to learn plant identification. With the warm temperatures and plentiful rainfall, vegetative growth is rapid, and we’re often left looking at a wall of green on green (on green). A common mix up is the misidentification of common milkweed and dogbane. Learn how to tell these two species apart.
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Authors
Carrie Brown

The Japanese Maple Scale Challenge

Oystershell Scale has long presented a management challenge given its wide host range coupled with limited insecticide targets. However, this armored scale has been largely supplanted by the Japanese Maple Scale in Ohio owing to a combination of misidentification leading to the miss-targeting of insecticide applications.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Stranger Things in the Woods

The name “scorpionfly” sounds like a dangerous combination. Like some freakish creature buzzing out of the Upside Down or lurking in a Jurassic dominion. Of course, scorpionflies aren’t flies with scorpion stingers just like pineapples aren’t apples growing on pines. The contractions tell a story; pineapples were so named because they resemble pine cones.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Stranger Thistle Things

Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) is not Canadian. It’s native to southeastern Europe. Exactly how it got to North America is not known but our friends up north got blamed even though there’s evidence it arrived in the U.S. and Canada at around the same time. Thankfully, Ohioans weren’t involved in the name game; it could have been called “Michigan thistle.”
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Authors
Joe Boggs

White Oak Slug Sawfly Damage

Skeletonizing damage produced by an oak slug sawfly on oaks belonging to the white oak group is becoming in southwest Ohio. The upper leaf surface appears bleached with leave veins remaining apparent. Flipping the leaves over reveals the slug-like culprits stuck to the underside of the leaves.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Hydrangea Leaftier

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 are completing their development in southwest Ohio but their handiwork remains.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Get Your Buckeye On Too... Peony Style!

While I was outside taking pictures of the Red Buckeye, my wife asked if I wanted to see another “gotta’ have it… Beautiful Buckeye”.   Intrigued because I thought I knew every plant in the Drapescape, I said “Sure, show me”.  I was literally stunned when she showed me an incredibly gorgeous, jaw dropping Paeonia officinalis x P. lactiflora ‘Buckeye Belle’ (BB) that she had snuck in amongst her other peonies.  It was truly the “Belle of Buckeyes”… alright, alright, it is not a woody ornamental tree, which is why I claimed that I...

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Authors
Erik Draper

European Elm Scale Create Dripping, Sticky Elms

European Elm Scale (Eriococcus spurius (formerly Gossyparia spuria)) females are dripping sugary, sticky honeydew in southwest Ohio. This is one of the "felt scales" (Family Eriococcidae) so named because of the white felt-like material encircling the female's flattened body. The white-edge / dark-center effect makes the female's bodies look like tiny eyes.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Seeing Scarlet in NE Ohio- Get Your Buckeye On!

Last week, Tom deHaas and Ann Channon wrote a great BYGL article titled “Not all Buckeyes are Created Equal. Which is Which??” https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1970.  The writing intent was to help identify the different species of Aesculus; naturally, these trees are all lumped together under the common identifier of “Buckeyes”- because after all, who doesn’t love Ohio or the Ohio State Buckeyes or Brutus Buckeye?  One true “buckeye” that is in my landscape and I absolutely love is Aesculus pavia or Red Buckeye (RB) or as it...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Fourlined Plant Marauders

Fourlined Plant Bugs are one of the sneakiest, quickest hitting spring pests found in Ohio. Hordes of hungry nymphs and adults descend seemingly out of nowhere to cause extensive leaf damage, then they just fade away leaving behind their foliar wreckage.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Holey Oaks and Chestnuts

The holey handiwork of the Oak Shothole Leafminer (Japanagromyza viridula, syn. Agromyza viridula) is appearing on its namesake hosts in southern Ohio. Similar damage may be seen on Chinese chestnuts (Castanea mollissima). The leafminer is a small fly belonging to the family Agromyzidae; the leafminer flies.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Holey Elms

Elm Flea Weevils (Orchestes steppensis) produce three types of damage on their namesake host: holes in the leaves, distorted leaves, and blotch-type leafmines. The three symptoms are currently on display in southern Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Major Miner on Elm

The leaves of elms may be turning brown in southern and central Ohio thanks to the leafmining activity of the Elm Leafminer Sawfly, Fenusa ulmi (= Kaliofenusa ulmi). The sawfly larvae undergo rapid development, so damage occurs quickly.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Another Interesting Oak Gall: the Roly-Poly

One of the most unusual galls found on oaks is the light green, ball-like Roly-Poly Galls produced under the direction of the gall wasp, Dryocosmus quercuspalustris (family Cynipidae). The specific epithet reveals one of the most common hosts of this gall-making wasp: Quercus palustris is the scientific name for Swamp Spanish Oak (a.k.a. Pin Oak) with palustris being Latin for “swampy” or “marshy.”
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Oak-Apples are Growing

There are somewhere around 800 different types of arthropod galls found on oaks in the U.S. About 700 are produced by tiny wasps (order Hymenoptera) belonging to the family Cynipidae. Of those, only a handful represent a serious threat to the overall health of their oak hosts.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Extra Eyes Needed to Look For Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) During the Upcoming Season

While there is something to see year round in the world of Spotted Lanternfly or SLF, last week, a group of Extension professionals - Jim Jasinski with our IPM Program, Thomas deHaas in Erie County, Ann Chanon in Lorian County and Amy Stone in Lucas County spent sometime in the field together gathering footage and photographers for some educational resources that are seasonal specific. Once developed, these tools will help Ohioans, help us, look for SLF in the Buckeye State.
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Authors
Amy Stone
Thomas deHaas
Ann Chanon

Biggest Week in American Birding

The Biggest Week in American Birding is May 6 - 15, 2022. The event is organized and hosted by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory and attracts birders from Ohio, across the United States, and many international visitors too! It takes place in northwest Ohio, or what is commonly called "The Warbler Capital of the World." 
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Authors
Amy Stone

Wilted Buckeyes

The title of this Alert isn’t referring to last year’s shocking November surprise in that State Up North.  Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) reported during yesterday’s BYGL Zoom Inservice that the handiwork of the Buckeye Petiole Borer is appearing on its namesake host in northwest Ohio. Likewise, I’ve been finding damage on wild understory buckeyes in the southwest part of the state.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Growing Degree Day (GDD) Summary, April 2022

Here is your Growing Degree Day (GDD) summary ending April 30, 2022. While the calendar says it is spring, our actual outdoor experiences made have said otherwise. We have enjoyed some record breaking summer-like temperatures, but on the flip slide, snow flakes were still flying in April. Hopefully now that it is officially May, things will change - who are we kidding, it is Ohio. Stay tuned for these year-to-date summaries each month in 2022.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Woolly Aphids on American Elms

I recently came across the odd-looking handiwork of Woolly Apple Aphids (WAA) on newly emerging leaves of American elms (Ulmus americana, ‘Princeton’) in southwest Ohio. ‘Princeton’ is an old cultivar first propagated by Princeton Nursery in New Jersey in 1922 that was later found to be resistant to the fungal pathogens behind Dutch Elm Disease (DED).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Calico Scale Poo-Drip

Calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) is notorious for raining large quantities of sweet sticky honeydew onto the leaves and stems of its host tree as well as onto understory plants, sidewalks, parked cars, slow-moving gardeners, etc. Indeed, my glasses became speckled with tiny honeydew droplets while taking pictures for this Alert.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Soil Mining Bees: All Buzz, No Sting

Soil “mining bees” have been on the wing in southern and central Ohio for a few weeks but their activity has been rising and falling with our roller coaster temperatures. Still, we’re receiving reports of homeowners, school administrators, park managers, and others feeling besieged and opting to consider taking drastic, ill-advised measures.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Lesser Celandine: Greater Problem

Lesser Celandine is known as a "spring ephemeral" owing to the time of year when short-lived plants and flowers are present. The majority of this weed's hide-and-seek life cycle is spent hidden from view as underground tubers. Bright yellow buttercup flowers are now revealing infestations in southern Ohio.
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Joe Boggs

Turfgrass Times, 04.15.2022

Here is the second edition of this year's OSU's Turf Team Times. Contributors this week include:  Dr. David Gardner (OSU, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science (HCS), Professor - Turfgrass Science); Dr. Ed Nangle (OSU, Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI), Assistant Professor, Interim Program Coordinator - Turfgrass Management; Program Coordinator - Equipment Manager Certificate); Dr. Dominic Petrella (OSU, ATI, Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator - Turfgrass Management); Dr. Pam Sherratt (OSU, HCS, Turfgrass Specialist); Dr. Karl Danneberger (OSU, HCS, Professor - Turfgrass...
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Authors
Amy Stone

Growing Degree Day (GDD) Summary, March 2022

Here is your Growing Degree Day (GDD) summary ending March 31, 2022. While the calendar says it is spring, our actual outdoor experiences made have said otherwise. We have enjoyed some spring-like temperatures, but on the flip slide, snow flakes have been flying in the not so distant past. Hopefully now that it is officially April things will change - who are we kidding, it is Ohio. Stay tuned for these year-to-date summaries each month in 2022.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Sick Spruce? It might be Rhizosphaera Needle Cast

Earlier this week, Rachel Capouya, Research Assistant and Interim Director of OSU's Plant and Pest and Diagnostic Clinic (PPDC) presented a program on rhizosphaera needle cast, the clinic, and how to properly submit samples to the clinic for diagnostics. 

 

The session was recorded and can be viewed by clicking on the link: https://osu.zoom.us/rec/share/m6JD6EJurKIzDhAaA_8XkF7IR4VaV6aVsA8VYOFBSzljtgvdrdnjLgD1M9zLqg2T.xDa-0quGmqMKxF6p

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Authors
Amy Stone

Turfgrass Times, 04.01.2022

Here is the first edition of this year's OSU's Turf Team Times. Contributors this week include:  Dr. David Gardner (OSU, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science (HCS), Professor - Turfgrass Science); Dr. Ed Nangle (OSU, Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI), Assistant Professor, Interim Program Coordinator - Turfgrass Management; Program Coordinator - Equipment Manager Certificate); Dr. Dominic Petrella (OSU, ATI, Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator - Turfgrass Management); Dr. Pam Sherratt (OSU, HCS, Turfgrass Specialist); and Dr. David Shetlar (OSU, Department of Entomology,...
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Authors
Amy Stone

Spotted Lanternfly Egg Masses found in Amherst, Ohio in Winter of 2022.

Egg masses of Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, on Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima, were discovered by an arborist during the week of February 14. Ohio Department of Agriculture inspected the trees the week of February 21st. A formal announcement was made by ODA in early March 2022. So, what can YOU do? Scout!
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Mulch Madness!

The vast majority of the trees and shrubs used in Ohio landscapes evolved in ecosystems with soils topped by an organic layer. Think forest and grassland soils. Aged hardwood bark mulch serves as a stand-in for leaf litter found beneath trees in forests. However, if a little is good, more is not better.
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Joe Boggs

Trees and Power Lines – How close is Too close?

The Ohio Tree Care Conference, sponsored by the Ohio International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) was held in Cleveland, Ohio on February 8-10, 2022. At the conference, I saw a presentation on trimming trees and power lines by Joe Jimmo from Pennline Tree Service. I got to thinking how many homeowners try to trim trees close to power lines.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

New FactSheet - Efficient Lawn Care Practices to Help Protect Ohio’s Waterways

Check out this new Ohio State University FactSheet, Efficient Lawn Care Practices to Help Protect Ohio’s Waterways. The FactSheet authors include: Ashley Kulhanek, Educator, Ohio State University Extension; Eugene Braig, Program Director, Aquatic Ecosystems, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University; and Zane Raudenbush, Turfgrass and Herbicide Specialist, Davey Tree.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Growing Degree Day (GDD) Summary, Janaury 2022

Years ago, a Growing Degree Day (GDD) article was a reoccuring staple in what was the weekly Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL) e-newsletter. While the newsletter evolved into a real time, blog-like, format, GDD information still had a presence as an occasional summary, and of course was included in many of the insect alerts. In 2022, you will be seeing monthly summaries, and we will continue to tie in GDDs into other alerts as well.
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Authors
Amy Stone

What's "Cracking" in the yard and woods?

Have you ever heard a loud bang or pop when you're outside in the winter?  It might have been a tree shivering during the brutally cold winter.  The past several weeks have been very cold and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get warm and stay warm anytime soon.  The very low cold temperatures that we experience during winter months can cause trees to crack.  This is called frost cracking.

Photo by: Carri Jagger

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Carri Jagger

Winter Tree ID – Part 2 – Deciduous Trees

As looked out the window on Monday morning, on January 24th, 2022, after an additional 8 inches of snow that fell Sunday in addition to the 30 inches from last week, I began thinking about items of interest to the avid gardener and thought, “Why not consider tree id in the middle of winter?” This week we will look at deciduous tree identification. Deciduous or woody ornamentals can present a greater challenge, since they lose their leaves or needles in the fall.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas
Ann Chanon

Love Letter to Paperbark Maple

Paperbark Maple is a specimen tree. It has a lot going on to make it the perfect tree for near a patio or framed by a window. It has four seasons of interest to keep you enthralled. Unique leaves, beautiful fall color, lingering seeds, and of course, the real pièce de résistance, the exfoliating BARK. 
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Authors
Ashley Kulhanek

Winter Annual Weeds Wipeout!

As I was strolling along looking at landscapes, a curious thought suddenly popped into my mind… “Hey, Hey, STOP and look closely at the ground!”  I stopped, squatted down and was astounded to see the incredible number of weed seedlings that had germinated and were happily harvesting sunlight!  What was so stunning to me about that particular landscape, which I know was gone over 2-3 weeks ago, thanks to a fall grounds cleanup party!

 

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Authors
Erik Draper
Thomas deHaas

Mesmerizing Murmuration

I’m not a fan of the Common (European) Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). They have long served as one of the many cautionary tales that illustrate the negative impacts of introducing non-native fauna into the U.S. Starlings are also notorious for their sudden appearances in huge numbers that evoke Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film, The Birds.
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Joe Boggs

OSU Green Industry Short Course, Formally the OSU Nursery Short Course, To Be Held in December

Don't let this educational opportunity for green industry professionals slip by. The 2021 OSU Green Industry Short Course will once again be held in collaboration with the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation's Conference and Trade Show on December 7 - 9, 2021 at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. By registering, you will be able to choose from a wide variety of educational concurrent sessions including: Plants and Practices, Landscape Pests, Equipment Maintenance, General Pest Track, Golf Turf Management, Professinal Lawn Care Track, and Sports Field Management Track. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

Time To Straighten Out Peach Leaf Curl

As I was out and about in orchards seeing which apples have yet to picked and simply enjoying the colors of ripening fruit; suddenly, I was stopped in my wanderings to be absolutely stunned and amazed by the fall leaf colors of peaches.  I had NEVER noticed the subtle colors and beauty of peach leaves that I observed for the first time this year.  There were purples, reds, oranges, yellows and every shade or tint in-between and how beautiful they looked as they were starting to fall.  I was savoring the moment, when my mind immediately jumped to- “Hey, peach leaves are...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Turfgrass Times, 10.28.2021

Want to hear about the latest and greatest information on turf? How about a plug for the 2021 Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Short Course and Tradeshow, which will once again be held in collaboration with the 2021 OSU Green Industry Short Course. The face-to-face event will be held the first full week in December at the Columbus Convention Center. Monday will include some pre-conference options, with concurrent sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Oak Wilt Update From The Clinic

Oak wilt is a disease caused by the fungal organism Bretziella fagacearum. The disease can spread both underground and above ground. The disease is spread underground to healthy oaks through the root system of infected oak trees. Additionally, sap-sucking beetles can be attracted to the fungal mats that form under the bark of infected, dead oaks and can spread the disease above ground as they move to uninfected oaks.
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Authors
Joy Pierzynski, PhD

True Colors of Leaves Being Revealed in NE Ohio

Up here in sugar maple land, everyone wants to know when the leaf colors will change and if it will be a good year for colors.  Like always, I give them the solid scientific response to their questions of “When they are ready”… and “Yep, it could be a good year!”  So, I thought I’d review the science as to why leaves change colors and then maybe you can forecast your own “fall color spectrum” chances.

 

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Authors
Erik Draper

Bois D'Arc

Bois D’Arc was the original name Europeans gave to Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera (family Moraceae (mulberry family)). Other common names that have developed over time include mock-orange, hedge-apple, horse-apple, hedge balls, monkey balls, and monkey brains. I’m not sure how monkeys crept into the name game.
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Joe Boggs

They're BAACK... The Hairy Bittercress Horde!

As I was outside soaking up the glorious October warmth and sunshine, I suddenly noticed little flecks of green scattered out in the landscape beds.  Intrigued and forever curious, I wandered over, saw what was growing and I got a twitch in my eye.  I remembered receiving an email from a reader telling me that I should remind everyone about seasonal timing and control of this despicable landscape curse.  I wrote this Spring (April 23, 2021) in an attempt to stem the tide of the prolific green horde of wicked plants taking over the garden world...but of course, they have...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Tips on Oak Tips

Late-season defoliation of established deciduous trees is not usually of great concern. There is little impact on overall tree health because trees have produced and stored enough carbohydrates to support leaf production next spring. Indeed, we’re close to the time of the year when deciduous trees drop their leaves anyway.
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Joe Boggs

Time for Peony Clean-Up

Garden Peonies (Paeonia spp.) have been used in Ohio landscapes for a long time. It's not unusual to find clumps of these non-natives growing where old homes once stood. However, this old group of perennial flowering plants has seen a resurgence in recent years.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Orb Weavers in the Morning Dew

There are almost 60 species of orb weaver spiders (family Araneidae) in Ohio. They capture and kill insects making them an important pest management bio-ally. This is the time of the year when the females of many species have reached their maximum size. Their gossamer creations are made even more noticeable if cloaked in morning dew.
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Joe Boggs

Tis the Season... For Fresh Picked Apples!

I love this time of year in Northeast Ohio because it is apple picking time!  Just a little over a week ago, the customer favorite ‘Honeycrisp’ apples were being picked and sorted.  Due to the May 25th & 27th freeze/frost events creating light to non-existent crops, the ‘Gala’, ‘Jonamac’, ‘Holiday’ and ‘Macintosh’ apples were quickly picked in the previous three weeks.  I’m looking forward to tasting the purplish-burgundy colored ‘Macoun’ apples with their brilliant white flesh and unique flavor.

 

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Authors
Erik Draper

The Trouble with Tribbles

Last year, on October 1st, I posted a BYGL Alert about small, fuzzy, reddish-brown to deep-red galls appearing on oaks in northern Ohio. The sheer number of the fuzzy oak leaf galls last year coupled with their alien appearance drew the attention of landowners as well as the news media once the galls started detaching from the oak leaves to rain down on sidewalks, decks, and parked cars.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Turfgrass Times, 09.24.2021

Check out the latest edition of the OSU's Turfgrass Team's Turfgrass Times. Kudos to Dr. Ed Nangle and Dr. Dave Gardner on this week's video as this year winds down. Tune in to learn more about a weed to be on the look out for - Virginia buttonweed, and management of wild voilets and ground ivy.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Resurrecting Lazarus Lizards

I’ve posted several BYGL Alerts over the years about the so-called Lazarus Lizards (Podarcis muralis, family Lacertidae). However, I’m resurrecting these fascinating reptiles based on spotting a few skittering around on a rock retaining wall near my home in Butler County, just north of Cincinnati.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Blister Beetles Make Their Late-Summer Appearance

Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) has been sharing images of Black Blister Beetles (Epicauta pennsylvanica) for the past few weeks on our Tuesday morning BYGL Zoom Inservice. Over the weekend, I received two e-mail messages from homeowners describing blister beetles swarming onto flowering perennials and vegetable garden plants, most notably tomatoes.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Beech Blight Aphids are Jitterbugging Across Ohio

The uniquely entertaining Beech Blight Aphids (Grylloprociphilus imbricator) are taking the stage in Ohio. I’ve received several e-mail messages from across the state about the aphids and Brian Heinz (Horticulture Manager, Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum) alerted me to chorus lines shaking their derrieres on their namesake host in southwest Ohio
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Spotted Lanternfly infestation found in Ohio at 3 different locations. What can you do? SCOUT!

Spotted Lanternfly Lycorma delicatula infestation have been confirmed in 3 different locations in Ohio. Ohio Department of Agriculture confirmed an active infestation in Mingo Junction in southeast Ohio and two separate infestations in Cuyahoga County. What can you do? SCOUT!
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Authors
Thomas deHaas
Amy Stone

Re-Alert: Fall Armyworm, Part II?

Participants in the BYGL Zoom Inservice on Tuesday morning had a lengthy discussion about whether we’ll experience a sequel to the Fall Armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda, family Noctuidae) saga in Ohio. Points were pondered and expectancies examined; however, the consensus was straightforward: never bet against insects!
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Dave Shetlar
Curtis E. Young

The Return of the Elm Leaf Beetle?

A site visit last week revealed a heavy infestation of Elm Leaf Beetle on ‘Patriot’ elm street trees in downtown Cincinnati. It was a surprise. This non-native beetle was once considered a major urban forest pest in Ohio as well as across most of the U.S. and eastern Canada. However, for unknown reasons, the beetles seemed to vanish from much of the U.S. in the early 1990s.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Magnolias Looking Mangled

As I was mowing the lawn, I noticed that there seemed to be an inordinate number of leaves on the ground near my wife’s favorite magnolia.  Immediately, my red flag warnings went off and I was on the hunt for what had caused the leaves to turn yellow, then brown and then fall off.  This tree is Magnolia X brooklynensis 'Yellow Bird' with elliptical leaves 4-8 inches long and 4-6 inches wide.

 

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Authors
Erik Draper
Joe Boggs

Sedum Flea Beetle Mystery Continues

I first encountered these brightly colored flea beetles in an eastern Cincinnati landscape in mid-October 2011. The beetles were doing so much damage the only way I could identify the defoliated plants was through a plant tag; it was Hylotelephium telephium ‘Autumn Joy’ (family Crassulaceae). There was little joy in the appearance of the landscape planting.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

ODA Confirms Spotted Lanternfly in Cuyahoga County

Earlier today, September 2, 2021, the Ohio Department of Agriculture announced a population of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) has been found on the east side of Cleveland. The information in this alert is from the announcement that ODA distributed today.

 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) was notified of the initial discovery by a tree care professional on August 26, 2021.

 

ODA Plant...

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Authors
Amy Stone

Destroyed: the Second Asian Giant Hornet Nest Found in the U.S.

On August 19, 2021, WSDA announced during an AGH webinar that the second AGH nest discovered in the U.S. was found in the base of a dead alder tree in a rural area in Whatcom County just east of Blaine, WA. The site was about one-quarter mile from the Canadian border. Last week, the WSDA announced that the nest had been destroyed.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Fall Armyworms March Across Ohio

OSU Extension county offices across the state are receiving e-mails and phone calls about Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, family Noctuidae) causing substantial injury to turfgrass. Thus far, it appears that fall armyworm is the dominant culprit rather than Yellowstriped Armyworm (S. ornithogalli) and Common Armyworm (Mythimna convecta).
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Authors
Dave Shetlar
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Jumping Spiders Abound

Jumping spiders get their name from their ability to leap long distances with a single bound. These small spiders use their jumping talent to travel great distances, evade enemies, and pounce on prey which is often much larger than these diminutive spiders. They are the terriers of the spider world.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Anti-Ant Farms

Last season, I posted a BYGL Alert titled, “Antlions Roar Again!” [Sept. 25, 2020] in which I described finding a large group of pit-trapping antlions (Myrmeleon immaculatus, family Myrmeleontidae) in southwest Ohio. I lamented that the last time I saw a sizable collection of these fascinating sit-and-wait predators in Greater Cincinnati was in 2017.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Turfgrass Renovation

While temperatures are still hot and it feels like we are in the heat of the summer, now is the time to begin planning and implementing practices for a lawn renovation in the upcoming weeks. Last year during the pandemic, Dr. Zane Raudenbush, formally of OSU's Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) created a video series to walk you through a lawn renovation. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid - A 2021 Summer Update - New Find in Kent, Ohio - Portage County

Since November of 2020, there have been a number of new infestations of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) discovered in Ohio. These discoveries have been made in Mahoning, Summit, Jefferson, and Columbiana counties. The newest find is in Kent, Ohio located in Portage County. This brings the total amount of known HWA-infested counties in Ohio to 17. The question for the homeowner and/or landscaper is: What should I do? The short answer is: Report it!
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Rusty Shoes (and Toes) Syndrome

Rust on turfgrass has been a hot topic during recent Tuesday morning BYGL Zoom Inservices. Amy Stone (OSU Extension, Lucas County) reported that she’s getting numerous reports of “rusty shoes” in her part of Ohio. Dave Shetlar (Professor Emeritus, OSU Entomology) noted that the shoes worn by participants in a recent outdoor turfgrass training event held in the central part of the state acquired an ocherous glow. The tangerine dream shoes pictured below were worn by yours truly (Adidas rust?).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Rising Bulletgalls

Rough oak bulletgalls are rising from oak stems in Ohio accompanied by their entourage of bodyguards. The galls are found on oaks in the white oak group with burr (Quercus macrocarpa) and swamp white oak (Q. bicolor) most commonly affected. The "mature" galls are commonly covered in black sooty mold.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Periodical Cicada Damage Look-A-Like

Tip dieback on oaks that is a look-a-like for periodical cicada oviposition damage is appearing outside of the areas in Ohio where Brood X (10) of the 17-year periodical cicadas appeared (wreaked havoc?) earlier this season. The damage is being caused by a very small beetle belonging to the genus, Agrilus (family Buprestidae). We’re not certain of the beetle's exact identity, so we’re calling it the “Agrilus Oak Twig Pruner.”
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Dave Shetlar

Coneflower Conundrums

Coneflowers (Echinacea spp., family Asteraceae) have long been a popular perennial favored for use in naturalized areas and mass plantings in landscapes because of their attractiveness to pollinators of all sorts. However, coneflowers may suffer from two problems that will only get worse next season unless they are properly managed.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Dave Shetlar

Creeping Slime Molds

Last week, Pat Migliozzi (State Service Forester [extraordinaire], Ohio Department of Natural Resources) and I looked at an oak tree showing a most unusual symptom. The base of the tree looked like it had been dipped in white paint.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Itchy Alert

Reports are coming from Maryland about people being bitten by a tiny mite that has been associated with the Brood X periodical cicada emergence. The culprit is a non-native “itch mite,” Pyemotes herfsi. Bites from the mite produce small, circular, rosy-red, pruritic (itchy skin) rashes and the discomfort may last for several days. Thus far, there have been no reports from anywhere in Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

White Masses on the Stems of Redbuds, Wafer-Ash, and Other Trees

During yesterday’s Greater Cincinnati BYGLive! Virtual Diagnostic Walk-About, Dave Shetlar (Professor Emeritus, OSU Entomology) showed pictures he’d taken late last week in central Ohio of snowy-white masses on the stems of redbuds (Cercis canadensis). The agglomerations could easily be mistaken for mealybugs, felt scales, or soft scales, particularly cottony scales.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Do Aphids Really Spoil the Monarch’s Party?

Oleander aphids (Aphis nerii) are commonly viewed with disdain by devotees of monarchs (Danaus plexippus). This is the time of the season when we see hordes of the non-native yellow aphids on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) plants that are "reserved" for monarchs. Of course, it shows that Nature takes no restaurant reservations, even for royalty.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Spotted Lanternfly Update, 07.30.2021

Last week, Indiana announced that the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) was detected in Switzerland County. And earlier this week, the information was shared via a BYGL Alert (https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1832). Cornell University's Integrated Pest Management Program website has updated a SLF map included below that gives the big picture of where SLF is known to be in North America. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

This Lily Has Everyone Seeing Stars

Every year in NE Ohio about this time, my wife and I anticipate being able to sit out on our deck and gaze upon the stars in the middle of the day.  How is this possible?  Did I tip over backwards on a chair and hit my head?  Nope, we just sniff and see stars!  The answer is easily detected with the emergence of one of our favorite species of lily blooming in the Drapescape.  This unbelievable bloomer, Lilium orientalis ‘Stargazer’, is most commonly called by its moniker of Stargazer lily.  Oriental lilies are renowned for their huge bloom size, intense and eye-...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Indiana Department of Natural Resources Announces First Find of Spotted Lanternfly in Indiana

On Friday, June 23, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced the first detection of spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) in Indiana. This find is a reminder to be on the look out for this invasive species and report and suspect finds in Ohio. Reports can be made using the Great Lakes Early Detection Network (GLEDN) App, or contacting the Ohio Department of Agriculture by email (plantpest@agri.ohio.gov), phone (614-728-6400), or using the online reporting form on their website at: https://agri.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/oda/divisions/plant-health/invasive-pests/slf
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Authors
Amy Stone

Be Alert to Redheaded Pine Sawfly

Redheaded Pine Sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei, order Hymenoptera, family Diprionidae) is so-named because of the markedly red head capsules of the larvae. It’s one of the most damaging conifer sawflies found in Ohio owing to its feeding behavior, wide host range, and the occurrence of two generations. First-generation larvae are in full swing with the second generation on the horizon.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Buzzing-Bombing Beetles, an Unusual Grub, and a Wasp boggs.47@osu.edu Thu, 07/22/2021 - 17:38
Green June Beetles (Cotinis nitida, family Scarabaeidae) are making their annual appearance en masse to terrorize gardeners, golfers, sunbathers, small children, and pets as they buzz home lawns and golf courses. Despite the "June" in their common name, these beetles always appear on the scene in July in Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Lacewings (= Good)

Lacewings (order Neuroptera) are delicate insects named for their elaborate lace-like wing venation. Ohio is home to members of two families: green lacewings (family Chrysopidae) and brown lacewings (family Hemerobiidae).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Lace Bugs (= Bad Bugs)

Lace bugs (order Hemiptera; family Tingidae) are so-named because of the lace-like pattern of the veins and membranes in their wings which are held flat over their body. Most lace bug species found in Ohio live on the lower leaf surface of their host plants.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Ants Cry Uncle!

The sight of ants in the kitchen can really freak you out. But if you step back, and do some research, they are not as big of a problem as you think.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Plant of the Week - Daylilies

Let's talk about a perennial plant that can provide early, mid and late season flowers, and ultimately color. There are distinct flower shapes and sizes. The overall plant height can vary greatly from 12 inches to exceeding 4 feet. They can be incorporated in existing perennial beds, or can stand alone in swaths and borders. The perennial I am talking about is the daylily. 
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Amy Stone

Adult Gypsy Moths Evident in Ohio

While the caterpillar stage of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) and its feeding is a thing of the past, adult moth activity is now being observed in the buckeye state. Populations are not widespread, but rather most evident in pockets or areas within the supression zone. Ohio has three management zones including: suppression, slow-the-spread, and eradication.  Each of thoses zones or programs are described below. 
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Amy Stone

Coneflower Decapitations Commence

The sunflower headclipping weevil (Haplorhynchites aeneus) is a well-documented native pest across the Great Plains where they attack cultivated and wild sunflowers (Helianthus spp., family Asteraceae). The weevil reared its ugly snout in Ohio several years ago, but not as an agricultural pest.
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Joe Boggs

Magnolia Massacre

Signate Lady Beetle larvae totally decimated a magnolia scale infestation a small saucer magnolia. The larvae have distinctly segmented bodies cloaked in cottony white wax making them look like mealybugs which they will also eat. The adults are very small measuring around 1/8” long.
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Joe Boggs

Periodical Cicadas Depart and Dog-Day Cicadas Arrive … with Their Killers

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).
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Joe Boggs

Fuzzy White Planthopper Nymphs

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).
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Joe Boggs

Assassins are on the Loose!

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.
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Joe Boggs

Asian Giant Hornet (a.k.a. "Murder Hornet"): It’s Not in Ohio, but Remain Vigilant

A recent announcement by the Washington Department of Agriculture has put the Asian Giant Hornet (AGH) (Vespa mandarinia) back in the news. A dead male hornet was submitted by a homeowner located in the state of Washington just outside the geographical locations of the original detections in 2019 and 2020.
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Joe Boggs

Fall Webworm Nests

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.
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Joe Boggs

Olethreutes has Left the Building

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.
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Joe Boggs

Yucca (Yucky?) Bugs and Beetles

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.
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Joe Boggs

Gyspy Moth Update, Part 2

A recent BYGL Alert (June 17, 2021 - https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1802) has prompted some emails coming from the following counties: Wayne, Medina, Lorain, Erie, Williams, Lucas  and Wood.

 

Caterpillars are gaining in size, their appetite is increasing, and their frass is falling. Last evening, I went to check out a site in Lucas County, in Toledo's Ottawa Park. The park includes many oaks, in the turf areas, and in the wooded area between the open areas and the adjoining golf course. There is plenty of food for these hungry...

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Amy Stone

What is Going on with the Birds??

Recently, there have been reports of ill or dying birds found around Ohio and in nearby states. These birds often have swollen eyes, discharge from their eyes that may appear crusted, or a lack of clarity to the eyes. Affected birds may also exhibit neurological signs, for example their head may hang to one side then flop to the other side. What is causing it and what can you do to help?
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Marne Titchenell

Look Up for Cottony Maple Leaf

Cottony Maple Leaf Scale (Pulvinaria acericola) was once a relatively common pest of maples in Ohio. However, this native “soft scale” virtually dropped off our radar until last year when noticeable populations were reported in the central and southwest parts of the state.
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Joe Boggs

Elms with Holey Leaves

The holy handiwork of the Elm Flea Weevil (Orchestes steppensis) is evident on native, non-native, and hybrid elms in southwest Ohio. Holes in elm leaves result from the adult “snout beetles” feeding on the leaves as well as the larvae tunneling between the upper and lower leaf surfaces as leafminers.
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Joe Boggs

There’s Corn in My Lawn!

I received a phone call yesterday from a homeowner proclaiming, “there’s corn coming up in my lawn!” I asked if the lawn was newly seeded and the caller said it was not; the lawn had been established several years ago. It’s a useful question because wheat is notorious for springing up from errant seed in straw used to cover turf seed.
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Joe Boggs

Be Alert to Magnolia Scale

Magnolia scale is a type of "soft scale" so named because the females are hidden beneath a helmet-like soft leathery covering that provides limited protection. Soft scales can be squashed! This native insect is one of the largest soft scales found in Ohio with mature females measuring as much as 1/2" in diameter. The size and overall shape of mature magnolia scale females commonly make it a poster child for soft scales.
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Joe Boggs

Gypsy Moth Damage Becoming Evident

Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) caterpillars are becoming evident in areas where populations are present. Citizens are reaching out to local Extension offices to identify the caterpillar and determine what is the best course of action.

 

The caterpillars are voracious feeders and as their numbers build, their appetites expand and plant foliage disappears rather quickly. While they prefer oaks, their host preferences are quite expansive. They seem to enjoy the needles of spruce, especially as larger, or later instar caterpillars.

 

Wisconsin has a "...

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Amy Stone

Turfgrass Times, 06.15.2021

Tune and watch the latest Turfgrass Times from the OSU Turf Team. This week's video includes updates from Todd Hicks, Dr. Pamela Sherratt, Dr. Dave Gardner, and Dr. Ed Nangle. Updates include: diseases, weather, weeds, overseeding and more. 
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Amy Stone

Maple Leaf Blister

Last month, I received an email message from a Lucas County resident that was noticing leaf drop on some maples in her neighborhood. Of course, the diagnostic process immediately begins, and my mind automatically goes to the OSU FactSheet, and I start going through the series of questions. If you aren't familiar with the FactSheet, or need a refresher, this resource is laid out in a order that takes you through the diagnostic process. 
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Amy Stone

Turfgrass Times, 06.04.2021

Last Friday, members of the OSU Turfgrass Team gathered to share their expertise in the latest Turfgrass Times You Tube video. Reports from Dr. David Gardner, Dr. David Shetlar (aka the BugDoc), and Dr. Ed Nangle. Dr. Gardner shared a weed update, including management options, and made mention of red thread. Dr. Shetlar discussed insects including: cicadas, May / June beetles, white grubs, and adult craneflies. Dr. Nangle talked about the weather, soil temperatures and mentioned some up coming educational opportunities. 
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Amy Stone

Holey Oak Leaves

The oak shothole leafminer is a small fly belonging to the family Agromyzidae; the leaf miner flies. The leafminer produces four progressive symptoms: small pinprick-like holes, larger holes, dark brown "blotch mines," and ragged-looking leaves with missing pieces.
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Joe Boggs

Box Tree Moth Alert

Boxwoods (Buxus spp.) are some of the most common plants found in Ohio landscapes and they remain a mainstay of our nursery industry. Box Tree Moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillars defoliate boxwoods and will strip bark once they run out of leaves to eat. The moth has multiple generations per year, depending on geographical locations, and sustained high populations are capable of killing boxwoods.
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Joe Boggs

Turfgrass Times, 05.28.2021

This week's OSU Turfgrass Times includes reports from Dr. Dave Gardner, Dr. Dave Shetlar (aka BugDoc) and Dr. Ed Nangle. Report highlights include a timely weed update including: oxalis, speedwell, crabgrass, and rough bluegrass. Insects on the radar are: periodical cicada, annual bluegrass weevils, bluegrass billbug, hairy chinch bug, and white grubs. 
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Amy Stone

Plant of the Week - White Fringe Tree

Each spring I am mesmerized by the white blooms of the white fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) outside my office at the Toledo Botanical Garden. This large shrub, or small tree, has a spreading habit. The plant is currently in its flowering glory in NW Ohio, capturing the attention of the Garden visitors wondering what it is. The white, slightly fragrant flowers are born in panicles that hang downward with a very soft and delicant appearance to them. 
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Amy Stone

An Oak-Apple Gall Ex Expert

An overly generous conference moderator once introduced a talk I was about to give titled, “Tree Galls: A Management Conundrum,” as being presented by a “gall expert.” I looked around to see if they’d made a last-minute speaker substitution.
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Joe Boggs

Sticky Oaks

I recently came across a burr oak (Quercus macrocarpa) with leaves covered in clear, sticky honeydew. I could also feel fine droplets raining down as I stood beneath the canopy. Indeed, my camera lens collected so many tiny droplets I had to retreat to my car to clean it before taking more pictures.
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Joe Boggs

Dripping Calico Scale

Calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) is notorious for raining large quantities of sweet sticky honeydew onto the leaves and stems of its host tree as well as onto understory plants, sidewalks, parked cars, hapless gardeners, etc. A dingy patina is added when the honeydew becomes colonized by black sooty molds.
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Joe Boggs

Poison Hemlock and Wild Parsnip are Bolting and Blooming

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is one of the deadliest plants in North America. Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) sap can produce severe, painful skin blistering. Both are commonly found growing together in Ohio and both are beginning to bloom meaning the clock is quickly winding down for controlling these non-native nasties.
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Joe Boggs

Woolly Aphids Add Interest to American Elms

The reemergence and wide use of American elms (Ulmus americana) in Ohio landscapes means we’re becoming reacquainted with some old woolly pests. Today, the point was driven home when I found both woolly elm aphids (Eriosoma americanum) and woolly apple aphids (E. lanigerum) on ‘Princeton’ elms in a landscape in southwest Ohio. Both are native insects that appear in pest records dating back to when American elms were "America's Street Tree."
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Joe Boggs

Horns are Popping

The “horns” that give the horned oak gall its common name are rising to the surface in southwest Ohio. The woody stem galls were formed under the direction of the gall-wasp, Callirhytis cornigera (Family Cynipidae) to feed and house immature grub-like wasps.
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Joe Boggs

Periodical Update: Cicada Observations and Educational Opportunities

The anticipated magical appearance of Brood X (10) of the 17-year periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) is getting closer with each day. On one hand, the cicadas are providing clear evidence they are nearly reading take the stage en masse. On the other hand, progress has slowed to glacial speed owing to continual dips in springtime temperatures.
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Joe Boggs

Hairy Bittercress Busting!

How many of us have gone outside to smugly look at our gardens that looked pristine and in excellent shape heading into the winter?  Then in the Spring, as we emerge from our winter hibernation to survey our domain… We are shocked!  What the heck happened out there because there are tufts of green weeds everywhere!  A gardening friend asked me what this green thing was, because he had already pulled or dug up two wheelbarrow loads of them!  The prolific green demon belongs to the mustard family (Brassicaceae) and is known as Hairy Bittercress (HB) or Cardamine hirsuta...

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Erik Draper

Wilted Buckeye Leaves May Not Be Freeze Damage

Round one turned beautiful magnolia blooms into brown mush in southwest Ohio. Impacts from this second round are yet to be determined but it’s likely some trees and shrubs suffered frost/freeze damage that will eventually be revealed with symptoms ranging from blasted flowers to wilted, blackened leaves, to twig dieback. However, wilted buckeye leaves may not be related to low temperatures.
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Joe Boggs

Hawthorn Pod Galls Arise

Hawthorn pod galls are fully expanded and very evident on hawthorns in southwest Ohio. As with the vast majority of leaf galls, hawthorn pod galls appear to cause little to no harm to the overall health of their tree host.
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Joe Boggs

Turfgrass Times, 04.09.2021

A little bit of a delay from the original video post of last week's Turfgrass Times, but wanted to be sure each of you can tune into the recording. The recording was made on Friday, April 9th and includes a lot of great information from the turf experts.
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Amy Stone

What is Your Growing Degree Day (GDD) Number?

So what is your GDD - or growing degree day? Before you reach for a piece a paper, a pencil and a calculator to figure out what your number is, check out the OSU's Growing Degree Day website. This website does the 'math' or the calculations to determine your GDD for you. All you need is an Ohio zipcode. The website uses weather stations across Ohio to determine what the accumulations, and provides visitors their GDD and where they are in a biological calendar of certain plant blooms and insect activity. 
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Amy Stone

Word of the Week - Oomycetes

Earlier this week, I was participating on a Virtual Zoom presentation for Master Gardener Volunteers in Lucas County. This year's interns were treated to a Plant Pathology presentation by OSU's Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic's Program Director, Joy Pierzynski, Ph.D. While there were a lot of words that Joy shared with this new group of OSU volunteers, I picked one that I just love to hear. 
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Amy Stone

Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Information

A quarantine is established to contain, or reduce the potential spread, of an identified pest. Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) has expanded their spotted lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula) quarantine to include 8 new counties. Those counties include: Cambria, Cameron, Franklin, Lackawanna, Montour, Pike, Wayne and Westmoreland. This brings up the total number of PA Counties under quarantine to 34. This is just over 1/2 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. 
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Amy Stone

Turfgrass Times, 03.19.2021

Check out the first edition of the Turfgrass Times in 2021. A special shout out to the following OSU Turfgrass Team members that made this week's video possible: Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Ed Nangle; Joe Rimelspach; and Dr. Dave Shetlar (aka the Bug Doc); Dr. Pamela Sherratt; and Michael O'Keeffe.
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Amy Stone

Word of the Week - Growing Degree Days (GDD)

Growing Degree Days (GDD) are a measurement of the growth and development of plants and insects during the growing season. Development does not occur at this time unless the temperature is above a minimum threshold value, or what is also referred to as the base temperature. This base temperature can vary for different organisms and is determined through research and experimentation.
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Amy Stone

Word of the Week - Damping-Off

This week's word of the week is DAMPING-OFF. Dictionary.com defines damping-off as a disease of seedlings, occurring either before or immediately after emerging from the soil, characterized by rotting of the stem at soil level and eventual collapse of the plant, caused by any of several soil fungi. 

 

As gardeners eagerly await the official beginning of the spring season, there will be lots of seeds being sowed at home, or commercially in greenhouses across Ohio to support gardeners efforts in growing food, supporting pollinators and creating beauty in gardens and...

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Amy Stone

Wonderous Witch-hazels

What is a Witch-hazel?

A witch-hazel (Hamamelis) is not a true hazel, Corylus, though the foliage and fruit do resemble true hazels. The two genera are not related and belong to different families (Hamamelidaceae vs. Betulaceae).

...
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Paul Snyder

Word of the Week - Marcescent

This week’s word of the week is MARCESCENT (mar·ces·cent) and was suggested by not just one, but two BYGL readers, Sue Cook and David Sprague. Keep the suggestions coming. We have a nice list of words that keeps on growing.

 

MARCESCENT defined by dictionary.com is the withering, but not falling off, as a part of a plant. Marcescent comes from marcescere, and in Latin, means “to fade”. 

 

So have you ever noticed...

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Amy Stone

Word of the Week - Allelopathy

This week's word of week was suggested by BYGL reader, Kathy Estabrook. Thanks to all readers who have suggested a word, or words for future BYGL alerts. Keep the suggestions coming by emailing me at stone.91@osu.edu with the subject line Word of Week for easy sorting and organzing. 
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Amy Stone

2021 Woodland, Water and Wildlife (WWW) Conference Opens Registration

The Ohio Woodland, Water and Wildlife (WWW) Conference has been a long standing tradition for natural resource professionals. We have been in Mansfield, Ohio the first Wednesday in March for as long as we can remember. In fact, last year, this was one of the last in person conferences before we went virtual! This conference, that had been a one day conference with three concurrent educational tracks, is going virtual. Each track - Woodlands, Water and Wildlife - will have its own day. Monday, March 1 will be the Woodland topics; Tuesday, March 2 will be the Water topics; and Wednesday, March...
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Amy Stone
Marne Titchenell
Kathy Smith

Word of the Week

We have all heard of a new year's resolution. Sometimes the resolution is related to an improvement in the area of health and wellness, sometimes it is a goal that we want to achieve, and sometimes it is something brand new - something that we have not done before. Well, we are going to try something new each week in the Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL).
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Amy Stone

Emerald Ash Borer Update for the New Year

Kicking off the new year with an update on a not so new invasive species, the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) (EAB). 

 

EAB was first detected in summer of 2002 in Michigan, near Detroit, and in winter of 2003 in Ohio, outside of Toledo. It has since spread through the buckeye state and has made its home in 36 states. As indicated on the map, some states have felt the wrath of EAB from north to south and east to west, while some have what we would call 'isolated infestations' - at least for now. 

 

While the EAB map that is updated on a...

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Amy Stone

Invasive Buckthorns

Common buckthorn (European buckthorn), Rhamnus cathartica, and Glossy buckthorn, Frangula alnus (previously named Rhamnus frangula), are large shrubs or small trees (10-25’ in height) that are non-native invasive species. Both can form dense thickets displacing native tree and shrub species. Common buckthorn prefers drier sites while glossy buckthorn favors wetter habits including river and stream banks and pond edges. Plants of both species can establish themselves in fence rows, open fields, roadsides, open woods, and woodland edges. Common buckthorn is the alternate host for crown rust of...
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Ann Chanon

OSU Green Industry Short Course and Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference Goes Virtual Next Week

Once again, the OSU Green Industry Short Course and the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference are partnering up to bring you two outstanding educational events combined into one program. This year the program is - yes you guessed it - going virtual.

 

You can join us for this historic virtual event that offers over 60 hours of education!  The on-demand sessions are available now if you want to begin learning today!  Credits will be offered for many of the live sessions being...

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Amy Stone

Plant Introductions: Meet Invasive Species Common Barberry and Japanese Barberry

Common barberry or European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, is a non-native invasive woody shrub.  Intentionally brought to North America by early settlers in the 1600s, it has escaped cultivation and is widely distributed in the northern U.S.  Common barberry is also an alternative host for the disease, black stem rust, a severe pest of grains.  As a result, large scale eradication efforts began in the 1900's to remove this reservoir of disease.  However, populations still exist in the Great Lakes states, including Ohio, and the northeastern United...

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Ashley Kulhanek

Chadwick Arboretum's Virtual Winter Solstice Program

Grab your hot cocoa, roast some chestnuts, and join us in Chadwick Arboretum for this virtual presentation.  Since Covid 19 has forced us to virtual programming, and the solstice will be soon, and the Solstice Walk is a popular evening event, we are changing it up a little to allow more people the opportunity to learn about the solstice, stars, and the labyrinth at Chadwick Arboretum. 
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Pam Bennett

Street Trees Part 5 – Gymnocladus, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Gleditsia, Honeylocust, and Koelreuteria, Goldenrain Tree

This week we look at what some very durable choices for street trees. These include Kentucky Coffee Tree, Honeylocust and Golden Rain Tree. The latter two may have been overused for this application in the past several decades but are still good trees when used in combination with other Genus and species to increase diversity.
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Thomas deHaas
Erik Draper
Ann Chanon

Waking Up To Mother Nature's Beauty

Earlier today, I woke up and looked out a window to see a foggy start to the day. At first glance, I however overlooked the frost that was also present. As it became lighter and the morning continued, the frost lessened and by noon the beauty disappeared, although the fog is still hanging around.   
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Amy Stone

Street Trees Part 4 – Eucommia (Hardy Rubber Tree), Ginkgo (Ginkgo), Maclura (Osage Orange)

Eucommia (Hardy Rubber Tree), Ginkgo (Ginkgo), Maclura (Osage Orange) This week we look at what some would deem ‘Odd’ for street trees but can be good choices for harsh conditions. The key is to pick the right plant cultivar, or you may be headed for trouble.
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Thomas deHaas

Invasive of the Week - Phragmites (Phragmites australis)

Phragmites is a non-native perennial grass this is commonly referred to as common reed. The wetland grass thrives in its name sake - wetlands or low areas - but can also establish itself in other areas. It is commonly found along roadsides in ditches, in retention ponds and bioswales, along the edges of ponds, rivers and lakes, and will completely infiltrate a wetland, quickly becoming a monoculture - single species. It is considered invasive as it outcompetes all other plants and displaces wildlife as it becomes the top-plant, at least in numbers, in a given area.
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Amy Stone

Seasonal Scouting for Viburnum Leaf Beetle Eggs

While the leaves of viburnum (Viburnum spp.) shrubs have fallen, if the viburnum leaf beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni) was present earlier this year, the eggs laid on the shrubs newest growth will be evident. This non-native invasive species feeds a larvae and adult, skeletonizing viburnum leaves. When population level of the insect increase, defoliation of the shrub becomes more obvious. The insect will feed on naturally growing viburnums, as well as those planted in landscapes, in commercial plantings and at gardens and arboretums. 
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Amy Stone

Virtual Session on Invasive Jumping Worms - Thursday, November 19, 2020

Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) will be presenting a virtual session on Thursday, November 19 at 11 am EST - Invasive Jumping Worms: The Impact of a New Soil Invader. This session, like all EABU sessions, will be recorded and the link will be posted on the regional Emerald Ash Borer website at http://www.emeraldashborer.info/  
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Amy Stone

Street Trees Part 1 – Acer (Maple)

One thing I realized is talking ‘Street Trees’ with a Horticulturalist is like talking politics with anyone else. Everybody has strong opinions and there is a great variation on agreement. So, I start this journey with an apology. I am certain at the conclusion; I will get e-mails ‘What about this……?’ The goal of this series is to provide food for thought as to possible selections you may wish to consider, forgot about, or a combination of both. One thing for sure is I am learning a lot about selections. So, this week’s selection comes from the Maple family. Red maples have dominated our...
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Thomas deHaas

2020 BYGL Reader Survey Ends Monday

The 2020 BYGL Reader Survey ends this coming Monday, November 2. Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback. All survey results are anonymous and will be used by the Buckeye Environmental Horticulture Team (BEHT) to help us improve the BYGL now and into the future!
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Beth Scheckelhoff
Ashley Kulhanek

Another Fall Feeding Caterpillar

Amy Stone reported earlier this month on a yellow striped Zebra caterpillar (Melanchra picta (Harris)) (Stripes of a Different Kind - The Zebra Caterpillar, October 8, 2020). Curtis Young discovered yet another caterpillar with bright yellow stripes running down the length of its body. This one was found mowing down on the blossoms of New England asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) growing in the Van Wert County Master Gardeners’ Children’s Garden in Smiley Park, Van Wert, Ohio.
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Curtis E. Young
Amy Stone

"Giant Mutant Mosquitoes" Abound

Swarms of crane flies (order Diptera, family Tipulidae) are cruising lawns during the day and buzzing porch lights at night throughout much of Ohio. Although they look like giant, mutant mosquitoes, crane flies do not possess mosquito-like piercing-sucking mouthparts, so they do not bite. In fact, the adults are relatively short-lived and they don't feed.
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Joe Boggs
Dave Shetlar
Curtis E. Young
Leaf Cutting Bees 'Love' Redbuds and More stone.91@osu.edu Sat, 10/10/2020 - 08:05

I was excited to see there was leafcutter bee activity on my walk at Toledo Botanical Garden earlier this week. The activity was on a redbud (Cercis canadensis) seedling. I observed the activity occurred on the lower leaves, closest to the ground. I also noticed leaf cutting bee activity on a redbud at home, and again the activity was near the ground. 

 

Most of the common leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.) are similar in size to the common honeybee, usually a little darker with light bands on the abdomen. Their actions or habits differ from the common...

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Amy Stone

Stripes of a Different Kind - The Zebra Caterpillar

As an Extension professional, I am on the receiving end of a lot of questions, just like my colleagues across the state. These questions come in the form of telephone calls, emails, text messages, photographs, personal conversations and actual samples. Sometimes these questions are answered easily with a quick reply. Sometimes the question needs additional information, photo documentation, more researching, or should be sent on to the OSU Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (https://ppdc.osu.edu/). 
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Amy Stone

Tree of the Week - Sweetgum

There is nothing better than following a tree through its yearly development. As we are in the throws of fall and leaves are beginning to shine with vibrant shades of autumn and soon will be fallen at accelatored speeds, take a moment and enjoy. Soon will be spending more time indoors as temperatures drop and day length shortens, spend every second you can and take nature in! 
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Amy Stone

Perennial Plant of the Week - Alleghany Pachysandra

Yesterday, I was out taking advantage of a beautiful, but windy day by getting outdoors. I was searching for photos for future programs and upcoming BYGL Alerts as we inch closer and closer to winter. One plant that I wanted to highlight was pachysandra. But not the Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) that is more commonly planted and likely more familiar to many in comparision to the Alleghany pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens). This plants is also called mountain spruge or Alleghany spruge. 
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Amy Stone

Study at Penn State to Examine Potential for Birds to Eat Spotted Lanternfly

As we all learn more about the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect detected in North America in 2014 in eastern Pennsylvania, there are a lot of research being conducted to gain that knowledge. Today's BYGL Alert is a shared article from Penn State University via Penn State News on October, 7, 2020 on one such project that will be encouraging citizen scientists to participate and contribute their observations in the field. The media contact is Amy Duke from Penn State. 
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Amy Stone
Fall 2020 Webinar Series on Invasives, Emerald Ash Borer University - The Green Tree Killing Insect and More! stone.91@osu.edu Wed, 10/07/2020 - 11:48
We’re excited to announce the fall Emerald Ash Borer University lineup! This fall we will be hosting webinars on a wide range of topics on Thursdays at 11:00 AM ET. If you can’t attend the live webinar we will also post recordings. Sign up to watch the live webinars or be notified when the recordings are posted. Please share this announcement with anyone you think might be interested!
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Amy Stone

Turfgrass Times, 10.02.2020

As the season is winding down, so are the Turfgrass Times, a video of the latest and greatest turfgrass information from the OSU turfgrass team. This week's participants included: Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Ed Nangle; Joe Rimelspach; Dr. Pamela Sherratt; Dr. Dave Shetlar (aka the Bug Doc); and Dr. Karl Danneberger. 
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Amy Stone

Garden Peony Clean-Up

When many of us think of Garden Peonies (Paeonia spp.), a grandmother's garden may come to mind. These non-natives have been around for a long time. It's not unusual to find clumps of peonies growing where old homes once stood. However, this old group of perennial flowering plants has seen a resurgence in recent years along with several diseases.
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Joe Boggs

Are Oaks Raining Tribbles?

Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) has regaled participants of our weekly BYGL Zoom Inservice with pictures of fuzzy, deep-red leaf galls on red and pin oaks for a couple of weeks. Ann Chanon (OSU Extension, Loraine County) also showed the group pictures of the galls taken on an oak in a landscape in her county.
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Joe Boggs

This Friday's Escape to the Forest - Birds of Ohio Shores: Diversity, Ecology and Management of Shorebirds in Ohio

This Friday's Ohio State University Woodland Stewards Escape to the Forest is on Birds of Ohio Shores: Diversity, Ecology and Management of Shorebirds in Ohio. The virtual program will begin at 10 am and conclude by 12 pm. To register for this free program, go to: https://go.osu.edu/shorebirds
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Amy Stone
Marne Titchenell
Kathy Smith

Spotted Lanternfly Traps Deployed In Ohio

While we have posted BYGL alerts to encourage Ohioans to be on the look-out for signs and symptoms of a spotted lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula (White)) infestation in the buckeye state, there is another tool that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) are using in locations associated with transportation opportunities the SLF might be utilizing to aid its movement (i.e., road side rest areas, truck stops, or near railways). We realize that although this insect can spread on its own, usually on a limited basis, the greatest threat...
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Amy Stone
Thomas deHaas

Antlions Roar Again!

The last time I saw a sizable collection of pit-trapping antlions (Myrmeleon immaculatus, family Myrmeleontidae) in southwest Ohio was in 2017. The conical pits created by one of my favorite insects have been a rarity since then. That’s why I was thrilled to come across large numbers of pits today in Sharon Woods which is part of Great Parks of Hamilton County in the southwest part of the state.
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Joe Boggs

Act Now to Prevent Fall Invaders!

It won't be long before fall home-invading insects start appearing on our doorsteps in search of winter quarters. The unwelcomed guests may include Boxelder Bugs; Western Conifer Seed Bugs; and Magnolia Seed Bugs. Of course, the two most notorious fall marauders are the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles and Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs. These non-natives have a deserved reputation for invading homes in huge numbers.
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Joe Boggs

Goldenrain Tree Bug

I came across a small population of Goldenrain Tree Bugs (Jadera haematoloma) this week cavorting beneath their namesake host in a southwest Ohio landscape. The bugs do not have a common name that's been approved by the Entomological Society of America.
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Joe Boggs

A Million Maximilian Sunflower Display

A beautiful floral display is underway in the Voice of America (VOA) Butler County MetroPark just off I-75 north of Cincinnati. The draw for me and apparently many others is a sea of gorgeous yellow flowers running for about 1/2 mile between the park's lake and Liberty Way; a road that borders the northern edge of the park. The display is a show-stopper!
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Joe Boggs

Stinging Cats

Most hairy caterpillars do not represent a threat, but some caterpillars have hairs or bristles that are modified for defense. They can produce itchy rashes or deliver a painful venomous sting. There are good reasons to look but not touch.
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Joe Boggs

Spot the Spot – Efforts Continue to Look For Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) in Ohio

Recently, an Ohioan returned from a road trip to Pennsylvania. In addition to all the memories made, this traveler unintentionally brought back a hitch-hiker – a spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF). The individual quickly captured and ended the insect’s life before reaching out to his local Extension Educator. The suspect sample was submitted to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) for confirmation based on the USDA protocol established to confirm non-native pests not currently established, or with limited presence in the case of Asian Longhorned beetle, in the state.
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Amy Stone
Thomas deHaas

Weaving the Dodder's Tale

Dodders are parasitic plants belonging to the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. They were formerly placed in the dodder family, Cuscutaceae, with only one genus in the family, Cuscuta. Depending on the reference, there are somewhere between 100 – 170 species worldwide with 13 species reportedly found in Ohio.
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Joe Boggs

Oak Bulletgalls are Rising

Dave Shetlar (Professor Emeritus, OSU Entomology) and I have recently observed newly developing oak rough bulletgalls in central and southwest Ohio, respectively. The galls are produced under the direction of the gall wasp Disholcaspis quercusmamma (family Cynipidae). We're also starting to see the gall's security detail, but more about that later.
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Joe Boggs

Bagworm Season Drawing to a Close

This "bagworm season" which began in early June was marked by damaging localized infestations throughout Ohio. Images showing heavy defoliation from bagworms (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) were commonly shared during our weekly BYGL Zoom Inservices. Populations appeared to be higher than has been seen for several years.
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Joe Boggs

Asian Jumping Worms a Threat to Gardens and Woodlands

As gardeners, we understand that earthworms are important allies in creating a soil ecosystem that is conducive to growing flowers, vegetables, turf, shrubs, trees or any type of plant. Deep dwelling earthworms such as common night crawlers create tunnels, which allow air and water to reach plant roots. Their castings, or excrement, help enrich the soil by adding nutrients such as phosphorous, calcium, nitrogen, and magnesium.
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Mike Hogan

Robber Fly Born Identities

I posted an Alert over the weekend about robber flies (family Asilidae). This family of highly proficient predatory flies includes so-called "giant robber flies" (genus Promachus). I had the mistaken belief that the most common member of the giant robber fly genus found in Ohio is P. rufipes (Fabricius), the so-called Red-Footed Cannibalfly. However, thanks to BYGL-reader Tim Turner, I learned that we have another giant in our midst that we must consider when snapping pictures for BYGL Alerts.
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Joe Boggs

Spotted Lanternfly Update

The spotted lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive planthopper first detected in eastern Pennsylvania in Berks County in 2014, and has since been detected in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The map below was updated on August 14, 2020 and includes both individual finds of SLF with no infestation present (purple dots), and where SLF infestations are present (blue areas) - which means a reproducing population had been detected and multiple life-stages of the insect has been detected and confirmed. 
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Amy Stone

Ohio Victory Gardens - Let's Grow Ohio

Victory Gardens originated during World War I, an answer to a severe food shortage at the time. People were encouraged to find any usable space, plop in some seeds and contribute homegrown fruits, vegetables and herbs to the effort. The idea was wildly successful, growing an army of amateur gardeners and serving to boost morale and patriotism.
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Amy Stone
Pam Bennett

Spectacular Fall Webworm Nests

Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea) has two overlapping generations per season in Ohio. The "fall" in the webworm's common name is based on large second-generation nests normally appearing late in the season. However, we are receiving reports that where localized webworm populations are high, the caterpillars are already producing some truly spectacular nests sometimes enveloping entire trees.
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Joe Boggs

Ambush Bugs: A Pollinator Peril

Sometimes, the common names of insects clearly describe what the insects do for a living. Insects that belong to the Hemipteran family Reduviidae are collectively called assassin bugs; they hunt down and kill other insects. Look closely at flowers to observe another type of assassin bug that practices an entirely different type of predatory behavior
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Joe Boggs

Is It Oak Wilt, Or Not?

Oak wilt is a very serious and often deadly disease of oaks, specifically the oaks in the red or black oak group. The actual pathogen (Bretziella fagacearum) that causes the disease has been known to be in Ohio for many decades. Some years, it is worse than others. Oak wilt is not like the emerald ash borer that spreads rapidly, almost like a tidal wave moving in one direction. Oak wilt builds in a way that it can radiate out to other like trees, but advances at a slower pace, but even then, can cause tree death in a single season, and often in a matter of weeks
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Amy Stone

CFAP Federal Assistance Available for Nursery (including Greenhouse) and Specialty Crops

USDA expands CFAP program to include nursery crops, cut flowers, and additional specialty crops! The CFAP program helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic - and now includes assistance for nursery crops, cut flowers, and additional specialty crops.
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Beth Scheckelhoff

Bark Beetles and Ambrosia Beetles: the Big Picture

I've received several reports over the past few weeks from landscape managers and arborists of small holes in tree trunks that are oozing sap or exuding cylindrical strands of white sawdust. These delicate, odd-looking structures are the calling card of ambrosia beetles and are sometimes called "frass toothpicks." The oozing holes are the work of bark beetles.
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Joe Boggs

Mimosa Webworm on Honeylocusts

Damage by non-native Mimosa Webworms (Homadaula anisocentra, family Galacticidae) was a topic of discussion during this week's BYGLive! Zoom Inservice. Despite their common name, mimosa webworms are most often found in Ohio on honeylocusts (Gleditsia triacanthos).
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Joe Boggs

Passion Flower in Bloom

Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) is an annual vine that climbs by axillary tendrils. It warmer climates it can become somewhat woody and be perennial-like in its habit, typically dying back to the ground each winter. In Ohio, it will die-back to the ground in the fall, but will need to be replaced with a new plant in the spring. It is native to the Southeastern U.S. and is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade.
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Amy Stone

Cornelian Cherry Dogwood Putting On a Fruity Show

I have recently come to enjoy the cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas). It was its early spring blooming yellow flowers that drew me to this plant, but I have to say, the fruit and the bark are added features that keep me coming back for more. I am lucky enough to have a hedge row of this plant near my office, so not a day goes by that I don't get to enjoy these plants. I wanted to share some photos of its fruit, both in the canopy and some that have fallen off. The squirrels are having a great time gorging themselves on the ripening fruit, at least here at the Toledo Botanical Garden. 
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Amy Stone

Seasonal Fruits and Veggies Shine - Three Cheers for Locally Grown Produce

This time of the year, there is a flurry of gardening activity, especially in those gardens producing fruits and vegetables. The warm season crops continue to produce, while gardeners begin planning for the fall garden, or the quick to mature warm season crops or the traditional cool season crops.
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Amy Stone

ODA Asks Public to Not Plant any Unsolicited Packages of Seeds

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has been notified that several Ohio residents have received unsolicited packages in the mail containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. The types of seeds in the packages are currently unknown and may contain invasive plant species. Similar seed packets have been received recently in several other locations across the United States.
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Amy Stone

Be Alert for Yellownecked Cats

Yellownecked caterpillars feed in groups, sometimes called "colonies," numbering 10 – 30 individuals throughout their development. The colonies tend to consume leaves one branch at a time unless populations are high and multiple colonies are feeding on many branches.
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Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield

Dog-Day Cicadas, Cicada Killers, and Other Big Stingers

Annual Dog-Day Cicadas (Neotibicen canicularis; family Cicadidae) are singing in Ohio. Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wirt County) heard his first cicada on July 3. Dave Shetlar (Professor Emeritus, OSU Entomology) reported hearing his first cicada in central Ohio last Friday and I heard my first cicada song late last week in the southwest part of the state.
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Joe Boggs

First Generation Catalpa Hornworms

I came across a collection of first-generation catalpa hornworms (Ceratomia catalpae) feeding on a southern catalpa (Catalpa speciose, family Bignoniaceae)) planted in a county park in southwest Ohio. The caterpillars were 2nd instars when I found them on Monday; however, these native moth caterpillars develop rapidly.
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Joe Boggs

An Abundance of Eriophyid Mite Galls

This is the time of the season when a range of plant growths produced under the influence of eriophyid mites (family Eriophyidae) become obvious on a wide range of trees and shrubs in Ohio. They appear in widely varying forms from bladder-like to spindle-like to felt-like to crinkled leaf edges and other unusual leaf deformities.
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Joe Boggs

First Generation Redbud Leaffolder

The unusual damage caused by the native redbud leaffolder on its namesake host is becoming evident in southwest Ohio as caterpillars develop through the first generation. Thus far, populations appear to be sporadic and highly localized. However, population densities and distribution may change with the appearances of the second and third generations.
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Joe Boggs

Sycamore Anthracnose Redux

American planetrees or sycamores are known for their near defoliation from sycamore anthracnose disease in spring as the leaves emerge. Yet. Yet typically the trees recover and look normal by July. And so it went in the season of 2020 in Ohio.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Flocculent Planthoppers Arise

Fulgoroid planthoppers (order Hemiptera, superfamily Fulgoroidea) are relatively small insects with the adults seldom measuring more than around 1/4" in length. The early instar nymphs (immatures) of many species congregate in groups, or "colonies," and are usually obscured by a dense cloak of tangled waxy, white, cotton-like "fluff."
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Joe Boggs

Off With Their Heads!

The peculiar handiwork of the sunflower headclipping weevil (Haplorhynchites aeneus) is just getting underway this season on purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) and other members of the aster family (Asteraceae) in southwest Ohio. The damage includes dangling seed heads and stems that looked like soda straws.
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Joe Boggs

Aster Yellows

Aster yellows is a serious, chronic disease that occurs throughout North America and may affect over 300 species of plants in 38 families including a number of vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, lettuce, endive, and artichokes. However, as its common name implies, aster yellows occurs most often on members of the aster family (Asteraceae) and coneflowers are particularly susceptible.
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Joe Boggs
Julie Crook

ODA Partners with OSU Extension to Provide Online Pesticide Recertification Opportunities

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), is partnering with the Ohio State University Extension Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) to temporarily offer online recertification for pesticide applicators and fertilizer certificate holders whose licenses expired or are due to expire this year and were unable recertify as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The online recertification for private pesticide applicators and fertilizer certificate holders will be available starting Monday, July 6.  Commercial pesticide applicators will be able to recertify online beginning August 10.
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Jennifer Andon

Spotted Lanternfly Continues to Develop

While the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) has not been detected in Ohio, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), along with the Ohio State University (OSU) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) are urging Ohioans to continue to be on the look-out for this invasive insect. Many are using the Great Lakes Early Detection Network (GLEDN) App to report tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), a favorite food or host for this plant hopper, especially as an adult, and then revisiting the tree looking for signs and symptoms of SLF throughout the year.
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Amy Stone

Bad "Bugs"

Lace bugs (order Hemiptera; family Tingidae) are so-named because of the lace-like pattern of veins and membranes in their wings. Most lace bug species found trees in Ohio live on the lower leaf surface.
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Joe Boggs

Good "Bugs"

All "bugs" aren't bad. Entomologists call insects that belong to the suborder Heteroptera (order Hemiptera) the "true bugs" and insects belonging to the hemipteran family Reduviidae are collectively known as “Assassin Bugs.” The family includes over 190 species in North America and they are all meat-eaters. The common name for the family clearly describes how these predatory stealthy hunters make a living.
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Joe Boggs

Winterberry Gender Reveal

"Is my winterberry a male or female?" "I thought I bought a female and a male but I don't have any berries." 

Comments and questions like the ones above usually come during the fall or winter when the bright red berries begin to show up on Ilex verticillata, winterberry. But at that point in the season it is too late to tell. If you purchase a female but don't have a male (or the right male) and end up with no berries, you may think that you bought a male and go out and buy another female. 

Winterberry is dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female plants...

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Paul Snyder

Woolly Alder Aphids

Woolly Alder Aphids (Prociphilus tessellatus, family Aphididae) produce large, white fluffy colonies on the branches of their namesake host (Alnus spp.). Their appearance has been variously described as looking like white pom-poms, cotton candy, or white hair covering alder branches.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield

Orange "Dust" from Callery Pears

Homeowners in southwest Ohio were surprised yesterday to awake to find sidewalks, cars, and streets beneath Callery pears (Pyrus calleryana) covered in a fine sprinkling of orange dust. The unusual event spawned rampant speculation on social media and captured the attention of the local news media.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield
Turfgrass Times, 06.19.2020 stone.91@osu.edu Fri, 06/19/2020 - 13:36
Check out this week's Turfgrass Times - lawncare, weeds, diseases and insects oh my! 
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Amy Stone

Dandelion Detectives

The Gardiner Lab at The Ohio State University's Department of Entomology has launched Dandelion Detectives, a youth-focused community science program aimed at measuring the distribution of weeds in US lawns and their value for insects. The lab is seeking individuals, school groups, and other youth organizations to participate in this collaborative project!
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Amy Stone

Ugly Oaks

BYGLers are reporting that four unrelated springtime problems are causing some oaks in Ohio to look pretty ugly. None of these problems cause harm to the overall health of their oak hosts. However, singly or collectively, they certainly affect the tree's aesthetics.
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Joe Boggs

Itoh Hybrid Peonies

Itoh peonies, also known as intersectional peonies, are a group of hybrid peonies that have become more popular in recent years. In 2012, Ken Cochran planted two Itoh hybrid peonies at Secrest Arboretum (‘Kopper Kettle’ and ‘Bartzella’). The plant was a novelty for staff an volunteers and is still adored by many visitors to Secrest. Over the last two years Secrest Curator, Jason Veil, has greatly expanded the Itoh hybrid peony collect at Secrest.

...
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Paul Snyder

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Confirmed in South Carolina

Clemson University's Department of Plant Industry (DPI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced today that Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) has been confirmed in South Carolina. This the latest ALB infestation to be found in North America and emphasizes the need to remain vigilant for the non-native tree killer.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Amy Stone

Fall Webworm

Overwintered fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) eggs are hatching and first-generation nests are appearing in southwest Ohio. 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 more evident.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Oddball Fern-Balls

During a recent BYGL Zoom Inservice, Ken Chamberlain (OSU CFAES, Photographer and Multimedia Producer) showed participants pictures he'd taken in Brown’s Lake Bog of ferns with tightly curled tips. A casual observer could possibly mistake the odd structures for emerging frond fiddleheads.
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Joe Boggs

Calico Scale Crawls

Calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) eggs located beneath helmet-shaped females are just about finished hatching in southwest Ohio. As soon as the 1st instar nymphs (crawlers) appear, they make their way to the undersides of leaves where they settle along leaf veins and use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to tap into the phloem vessels.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Johnsongrass in Turfgrass

During today's BYGL Zoom Inservice, Dave Gardner (Turfgrass Science, OSU Horticulture and Crop Science) showed pictures of Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense, family Poaceae) springing up in turfgrass. The coarse bladed warm-season grass strongly resembles young corn plants and may present a weed identification challenge in turf.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
David Gardner

Early-Bird Periodical Cicadas

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 emerging this spring is Brood IX (Nine) in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

ODA to Begin Gypsy Moth Mating Disruption Treatments in Ohio

This is a media release distributed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) on June 8, 2020. 

 

GYPSY MOTH MATING DISRUPTION TREATMENTS TO BEGIN IN OHIO
 

Delaware, Franklin, Hardin, Hocking, Knox, Licking, Marion, Morrow, Muskingum, Perry, Union, Vinton and Washington counties to receive treatments

 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) will begin...

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Amy Stone

Why Are My Trees Blowing Bubbles?

After some hard rains this past week, I received a call from a very concerned citizen, wanting to know if their tree was in trouble.  The citizen was frightened that this had happened and didn’t want to lose the trees, because there was a pile of soap bubbles coming from the base!  My first thought and initial response was… YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS ABOUT TREES BLOWING BUBBLES??  Of course, the only thing I could do was ask if they could send me pictures to see what was going on with the tree!

 

...
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Erik Draper

Camp Canopy Goes Virtual - Check It Out!

What began in 1950 as a young sapling, Camp Canopy (formerly known as Ohio Forestry & Wildlife Conservation Camp) has grown into a mighty oak as one of the most popular summer camps among high schoolers in Ohio, hosting 10,000+ campers since its inception. Many students have taken what they learned during their summer(s) spent at Camp Canopy and have gone on to study natural resource disciplines at their post-secondary institutions. Others have simply learned a ton of cool stuff related to forestry and wildlife in Ohio. Either way, Camp Canopy’s legacy will live on in generations of...
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Marne Titchenell

Turfgrass Times, 05.22 and 05.29 - A Two For One!

On Fridays, the OSU Turfgrass Team records their timely Turfgrass Times. Early in the season, the group recorded these video updates every other week, but as we are into the season, expect these turfgrass updates on a weekly basis. Team regulars included Dr. Karl Danneberger; Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Ed Nangle; Joe Rimelspach; Dr. Zane Raudenbush; Dr. Pamela Sherratt; and Dr. Dave Shetlar (aka the Bug Doc); and occassional special guests.
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Authors
Amy Stone

"Concrete Mites" Are Out: Look Before You Sit!

So-called "concrete mites" are making their annual appearance in southwest Ohio. These tiny, fast-moving bright red mites scurry around on sunny surfaces such as on picnic tables, patios, sidewalks, concrete retaining walls, and on the outside walls of homes and buildings. They are called concrete mites owing to the locations where they tend to congregate.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Aphid Galls Rising on Elms

The leaves of native elms can look a bit bedraggled at this time of the year owing to the rise of pouch-like elm sack galls and the descriptively named elm cockscomb galls. Fortunately, neither of these aphid galls produce significant injury to the overall health of their elm tree host. Unfortunately, these odd-looking plant structures can spoil the aesthetics of their deep green elm leaf platforms.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Yeasty Beasties, Slim Flux, and Other Natural Wonders

I came across a colorful agglomeration of slimy growth on a cut stem of wild grape (Vitis spp.) during a recent walk in a local park. With a little imagination, the shimmering mass took the form of a strange sea monster with a dripping nose, perhaps because of our high pollen count. Of course, I had a little fun with enhancing the effect.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Friday, June 5 - Virtual Escape to the Forest - Forest Insects: Native and Non-Native

 

The OSU's Ohio Woodland Stewards Program in the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) is offering online Friday's in the Forest during this pandemic.

 

Next Friday you can join OSU’s Amy Stone and Joe Boggs as we look at some native forest insects and some non-native forest insects.  Insects that create ‘tents’, insects that dance, along with insects that create galls and insects that suck sap – something for everyone.  The virtual session will be offered on Friday, June 5, from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. 

 ...

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Authors
Amy Stone
Joe Boggs
Kathy Smith

Nostoc commune: From "The Blob" to Crusty Black Stuff

Recent heavy rainfall across Ohio has been very beneficial to the cyanobacterium, Nostoc commune (NC). Of course, that's not the name that most Ohioans will use to refer to this ancient organism. E-mails and phone calls to horticulture professionals may describe it as rubbery yellowish-green or bluish-black growth rising from the soil; some may just describe it as "the blob."
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Beautiful Oak Flowers

Flowers! That is one of many things horticulturalists think of when we think spring. We think of the beautiful flowers of things like Malus, Forsythia, Viburnum, and Quercus. I know, you might be asking, “Quercus, really?” Indeed oaks. Oaks have spectacular flowers! These often-overlooked flowers and quite intricate and showy in their own right...

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Authors
Paul Snyder

Ant Wars

"Ant swarms" are most commonly associated with ants mating and the subsequent establishment of new colonies. However, non-native pavement ants (Tetramorium caespitum) may also swarm for a more nefarious purpose: to conduct full-blown, no-holds-barred ant wars.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Holey Elms

Holes can appear in the leaves of native, non-native, and hybrid elms at this time of the year owing to damage caused by the non-native elm flea weevil. This weevil was incorrectly identified as the European elm flea weevil for many years. However, the true identity was sorted out a few years ago.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Holey Oaks

What's making holes in newly expanding oak leaves in Ohio? The common name of the oak shothole leafminer (Japanagromyza viridula, syn. Agromyza viridula) clearly describes both the culprit and the damage they do to oaks. This small fly belongs to the family Agromyzidae; the leaf miner flies.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

The Right Redbud For You

Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis, put on a show this spring! It did not matter where, the redbuds were simply outstanding. Most of the flowers on Cercis canadensis even survived the cold of May 8-11 with little or no injury. Perhaps it was the shelter-in-place order that made spring flowers seem especially brilliant this year, or maybe they really were better than usual. Whatever the case, I am not going to complain!

...
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Authors
Paul Snyder

Wilted Buckeye Leaves

A number of trees and shrubs in Ohio suffered frost/freeze damage this spring with symptoms ranging from blasted flowers to wilted, blackened leaves, to twig dieback. Wilted leaves on buckeyes may mimic frost/freeze damage, but a close look at the petioles will reveal the true culprit: the buckeye petiole borer.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

We Speak For The Knees?

Correction 5.20.20
An article published in the International Journal of Plant Sciences was brought to my attention by Bob Polomski, Ph.D., Extension Associate, Clemson University, indicating that Baldcypress knees do indeed function as pneumatophores.

See citation below for article text:

Martin, C. E., & Francke, S. K. (n.d.). Root aeration function of baldcypress knees (Taxodium distichum). International Journal of Plant Sciences176(2), 170–173...

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Paul Snyder

Woodland Wonders: Spring Ephemerals Sing the Blues

The spring ephemeral season is nearing its end in Northwest Ohio as the woodland trees and shrubs leaf out. Temperature largely dictates the pulse of when wildflowers bloom and fade on the forest floor. Our rather cool spring allowed dozens of white blossoms to linger for several weeks. These flowers are now mostly gone aside from a stray spring beauty here and there, replaced by a show of blue and purple blooms. Two warm, sunny days above 70°F pushed the fast-forward button on flowering last week.

These are the tail end of...

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Authors
Beth Scheckelhoff

Woodland Wonders: A Tale of Two Vines

 

Vines are trailing plants that use stems, tendrils or adventitious roots to help them “climb” up surfaces like walls, bricks, stone, plants and trees to reach new heights.  The curious nature of two vining plants – Virginia creeper and poison ivy - came to light this past week. Both plants are native, herbaceous perennial vines with compound leaves commonly found throughout the woodlands of Ohio. Often, they grow near one another or even intertwined on the same tree. Can you tell these two plants apart?

 

 

...
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Authors
Beth Scheckelhoff

Woolly Aphids on American Elm

Thanks to the sharp eyes of Dave Bienemann (Municipal Arborist/Utility Forester, City of Hamilton), I was able to take some nice pictures of the woolly apple aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum) and it's characteristic damage on its alternate host, American elm (Ulmus americana). This isn't the only woolly aphid that uses our native elm as an alternate host. The woolly elm aphid (E. americanum) is another historical American elm pest.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Marsh Marigold Madness

On one of our jaunts through the woods and parks in NE Ohio, my wife was thrilled to see glorious blooms of intense yellows created by Caltha palustris or Marsh Marigold (MM).  The genus name “Caltha” is derived from the Latin meaning “yellow flower” and the specific epithet “palustris” means marsh-loving.  Therefore, the Latin binomial for this plant literally means “yellow flower marsh-loving”!!  This North American native plant thrives in bogs, ditches, swamps, forested swamps, wet meadows, marshes, and stream margins from as far east as...

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Erik Draper

Shrub of the Week: Exochorda

The Rosaceae is the most influential plant family in our landscapes (and the angiosperms), from Spiraea to Physocarpus, Prunus to Alchemilla, and most notably for us at Secrest, Malus. While crabapples are showing their beauty at Secrest another member of the Rosaceae, Exochorda, is also putting on quite a display.

Over the last week I have received several inquiries from people wanting to know...

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Authors
Paul Snyder

Japanese Maple Scale (JMS)

Scale management is difficult but an incorrect identification can make it impossible. This is sometimes the case with the exotic Japanese maple scale (JMS) (Lopholeucaspis japonica, family Diaspididae). It's relatively new to Ohio, its name is misleading, and it may be mistaken for other more familiar scales.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Heavy Maple Seed Production = Slow Leaf Development

Phone calls and e-mail messages to Extension offices from landowners concerned about the health of maples should soon be on the rise. That's because maples, especially silver (Acer saccharinum) and red maples (A. rubrum), in many regions of Ohio as well as Indiana and Kentucky are producing loads of winged seeds (samaras).
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Turfgrass Times, 05.01.2020

Last Friday, the OSU Turfgrass Team recorded their timely Turfgrass Times. Team regulars included Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Ed Nangle; Joe Rimelspach; and Dr. Dave Shetlar (aka the Bug Doc); with two special guests OSU's Dr. Karl Danneberger and meteorologist Ben Gelber NBC4 WCMH-TV.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Check Out the Spotted Lanternfly FactSheet

While the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) has not been found in Ohio, the detection of the non-native invasive in Western Pennsylvania has people concerned. Ashley Kulhanek, OSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator in Medina County, and Jamie Dahl, Central State University Extension's Forest Outreach Coordinator, have co-authored a FactSheet, Be Alert for Spotted Lanternfly, ANR-83.
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Authors
Ashley Kulhanek
Amy Stone

Soil Testing

We have been fielding a lot of questions on soil testing this spring. While these type of questions are more frequent this time of the year, we are wondering, since more people are staying home, if there is a new or renewed interesting in gardening, landscaping or lawn care. People maybe looking for something to do while social distancing. Of course one of the first steps in success is to soil test.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Redbud Cauliflory

Redbuds exhibit cauliflory, development of flowers and fruits on the main stem. Occasionally, they also mass those flowers and fruits in a "corsage-like" aspect. Take a look.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield

A Woodland Wildflower Wonderland

It wasn't too long ago that we had snow flurries across Ohio. This week, the woodlands in Northwest Ohio were covered with a different kind of white - (mostly) white blossoms! Many of Ohio's spring woodland wildflowers are in full bloom this week. These are ephemeral bloomers, meaning they only bloom for a short period each year. So if you have a chance to walk through the woods this week, see if you can spot a few of these beauties...and more!

 

Claytonia virginica.  Spring wouldn't be spring without spring beauties!  These delicate and prolific harbingers of...

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Authors
Beth Scheckelhoff

Is it Time to Plant Your Vegetable Garden? Check the Soil Temperature!

This time of the 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.  Few gardeners check the soil temperature before planting, yet it is probably the most important factor affecting seed germination and plant growth. Planting too early, before allowing the soil to warm up,...

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Authors
Julie Crook

A Little Whiff of... Voodoo!

My friend Nick Reiter calls me up and says a plant-loving friend, Karen Jeric, has a plant that I MUST see and experience.  Okay, I thought, I’m always ready for a plant discovery experience and besides, I can write a BYGL Alert about it!   We arrange a way to social distance and pick up my “plant experience”.  I sneak a peek at the plant wrapped up and as I do, I get SMACKED right between the eyes… in my olfactory! 

 

...
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Authors
Erik Draper

Shrub of the Week: Yellowroot

Yellowroot, Xanthorhiza simplicissima, is a member of the Ranunculaceae that few people in Ohio are familiar with. When I began working at Secrest Arboretum in 2010 I learned Xanthorhiza from Ken Cochran as a plant that could be grown in dry shade beneath white pines. After the 2010 tornado we moved clumps of the plant to new areas to help cover open areas. At the time I wasn’t impressed with it, except for the...

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Paul Snyder

We Stand on the Shoulders of a Giant

The Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL) writers are sad to report the passing of Dr. Walter Timothy "Tim" Rhodus, Professor Emeritus, Ohio State University Department of Horticulture and Crop Science. His extraordinary vision and expertise with applying every form of new educational outreach technology changed the way we do the BYGL.
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Authors
Jennifer Andon
Pam Bennett
Joe Boggs
Ann Chanon
Jim Chatfield
Julie Crook
Thomas deHaas
Erik Draper
Carri Jagger
Denise Johnson
Ashley Kulhanek
Jacqueline Kowalski
Francesca Peduto Hand
Joy Pierzynski, PhD
Joseph W. Rimelpsach
Mary Ann Rose
Dave Shetlar
Paul Snyder
Amy Stone
Jason Veil
Curtis E. Young

Virtual Program Reminder - April 21, 2020, 9 am, 12 pm and 3 pm

Just a quick reminder that it is horticulture day for bracket play with OSU Extension's Agriculture and Natural Resources virtual training. The sessions are FREE and open to all. Each session will be recorded and the link to the video will be made live after the session at:  https://agnr.osu.edu/events/agriculture-and-natural-resources-madness/full-bracket
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Authors
Amy Stone

Calico Scale Poo Showers Commence

Calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) females spend the winter as small, crusty, flattened late instar nymphs (crawlers) stuck on plant stems. They look nothing like their mature form and may be overlooked or misidentified. They first make their true identity known when they start pumping out impressive quantities of honeydew.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Green "Ramping Up" All Over NE Ohio Forests

As I was out walking and checking our phenology sequence here in Northeast Ohio, I couldn’t avoid noting massive patches of green scattered across the forest floor.  The more closely I looked, the more I noticed it was EVERYWHERE in the woods.  Well, I couldn’t let an opportunity for some plant investigation go untouched, so I tramped off the beaten path… proclaiming social distancing rights!  I was astounded to discover that as far as the eye could see, it was Allium tricoccum (AT) or more commonly called “ramps” by foraging aficionados....

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Authors
Erik Draper

Plant More Pachysandra

Pachysandra. We should be planting more of it. Many of you reading this are repulsed by the thought of someone wanting to plant Pachysandra. And you should be. Before you close your browser I want you to know I’m talking about the good kind, Pachysandra procumbens, Allegheny Pachysandra, not the non-native species that you’re most familiar with, pachysandra terminalis, Japanese Pachysandra. Jim Chatfield mentioned Allegheny Pachysandra in a BGYL article a couple weeks ago and inspired...

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Authors
Paul Snyder

Invasive of the Week - Japanese Knotweed Popping Up

Often we take notice of invasive plants when they are most obvious - they are in bloom, have put on their yearly growth and are standing tall or maybe wide in some cases, and really can't be missed. But today, I wanted to share an early view of an invasive perennial, Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica). That review includes last year's left-overs, hollow stems standling leafless. No new growth will be initiated from these above stems and soon will be masked or hidden by this year's new growth. 
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Amy Stone

Growing Degree Days, Part 3

Last month, a BYGL Alert was written as an intro or refresher to growing degree days followed by a second alert, Growing Degree Days (GDD) – Part 2, (March 16, 2020), https://bygl.osu.edu/index.php/node/1455 . And ealier this week, Joe Boggs authored a BYGL Alert, Observations on Phenology (April 13, 2020), https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1504 highlighting the sequence of plant bloom, insect activity and optimal timing for pest management. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

Seeing Coltsfoot?

From afar, COLTSFOOT (Tussilago farfara) may be confused as a dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) due to its yellow fluffy flower.  Both are herbaceous perennial members of the Asteraceae family.  Both non-native plants are thought to originate in Eurasia and are now naturalized species to North America. 

 


However, where dandelion has a deep taproot and grows a single plant (shown below)...

 

...

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Authors
Ashley Kulhanek

Personal Protective Equipment Shortages for Pesticide Applicators

This spring pesticide applicators are likely to encounter a new challenge getting the personal protective equipment (PPE) required to make their pesticide applications. The emergency needs that first responders and medical care providers have for PPE in the COVID-19 battle have led to shortages of all types of PPE, even for types not typically worn by medical personnel. By the time that PPE become more readily available, it will likely be too late for many spring (or even summer) pesticide applications. What to do?
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Mary Ann Rose

The OSU C. Wayne Ellett Plant & Pest Diagnostic Clinic Will Reopen April 15, 2020

Beginning Wednesday, April 15, 2020 the Ohio State University (OSU) C. Wayne Ellett Plant & Pest Diagnostic Clinic, located in Reynoldsburg, will reopen on a part-time basis.  The Clinic will be accepting plant samples for disease diagnosis via package deliver only (USPS, UPS, etc.). No face-to-face drop off of samples can be accepted at this time.
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Authors
Joy Pierzynski, PhD
Amy Stone

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Update: A FREE Zoom Webinar

March Madness was canceled, but OSU Extension has stepped up with "Agriculture and Natural Resource (ANR) Madness." These are a series of online educational events you can tap into and enjoy – free of charge - in the privacy of your own home. There's no need to distance yourself from educational opportunities as you social distance.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Observations on Phenology

Amy Stone (OSU Extension, Lucas County) posted an informative BYGL Alert earlier this season on Growing Degree Days (GDDs) [click this hotlink: https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1448 ]. She highlighted and described our Ohio State Phenology Calendar that was developed by Dan Herms (Davey Tree) and during his time with us at OSU [click this hotlink: https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/gdd/default.asp ].
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Authors
Joe Boggs

April 2020 is our FIRST Ohio Native Plant Month and the 50 Anniversary of Earth Day!

On July 18, 2019, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 59 into law designating the month of April as Ohio Native Plant Month.  This legislation makes Ohio one of the first states in the country to have an entire month dedicated to our native plants!

 

The COVID-19 virus has canceled all group activities across Ohio, though there are still things you can do to participate in Ohio Native Plant Month. These activities for you and your families to share during these difficult times can be found at the following...

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Julie Crook

Ticked off by Ticks, Part 2

Tick Awareness is important.  In part 1, we covered the tick reports received that week: American Dog Tick and Deer Tick.  Today, we will dive deeper into other the other medically important tick, the Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum).  While I haven't received a report of them yet this year, don't count them out.

 

LONE STAR TICK

 

The Lone Star Tick, as other ticks, is a blood-feeding, parasitic, 8-legged arthropod.  Lone Star Tick gets its name from the...

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Authors
Ashley Kulhanek

Name That Pathogen

There are many human and plant diseases. Do you know what kinds of pathogens cause a few of the more well-known infectious disease. Here are your human and plant disease quizzes for today.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield

The Year of Mas... Cornus Mas That Is!

In Northeast Ohio, it really has been the year of the Mas… Cornus mas (CM) to be exact and colloquially known as Corneliancherry dogwood.  This bright, golden-yellow welcome burst of Spring color has been showing for a little over two weeks now!   Corneliancherry dogwood is one of the first of the new season, easily noticeable, blooming trees and is truly a harbinger of Spring.

 

...
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Authors
Erik Draper

Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) - Upcoming Sessions

Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) was created to be able share programming on the EAB, and other invasive pests, virtually, before it was the in-thing! While you are receiving lots of information about programs and presentations being offered virtually in response to the stay-at-home order, we wanted to remind you of the sessions EABU has on tap in the next couple months. Additionally, the sessions that have been offered in the past have been recorded and can be viewed at your convenience. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

My Forsythias are shaped beautifully…...but few flowers!

Deciduous trees and shrubs can produce a dependable flower show, but the flower buds that create the flowers need to be kept in consideration to prevent damage. Pruning at the wrong times can be a major reason for the reduction in flowers. In addition, early blooming plants like Saucer and Star Magnolias can be burned by a heavy frost.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Virtual Programming with OSU Extension, Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Area

Did your usual conference get canceled? Are you looking to fill the void during this time of social distancing and the stay at home order? Ohio State University Extension is here to help with a new virtual education program for the agricultural community - including programming in agriculture, natural resources and horticulture. “Agriculture and Natural Resources Madness: A Tournament of Education” will include 64 educational events broken into daily brackets. Each day, a virtual educational session will be held at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. The educational tournament is free of charge and...
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Authors
Amy Stone

Mining Bees Can Cause Minor Panic

Last week, I came across one of the largest collections of soil "mining bees" that I've ever seen in Ohio. The "colony" was located in a picnic area and numerous males were making their low-level flights in search of females. The sparse turfgrass coupled with early-evening lighting made conditions perfect for taking pictures.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Turfgrass Times, 03.27.2020

Here is your link to the video update from the OSU Turfgrass Team. Updates are from Dr. David Shetlar, aka The Bug Doc; Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Ed Nangle; Dr. Pamela Sherratt; Joe Rimelspach; Dr. Zane Raudenbush; and Mike O'Keefe. This is the first one of the season and packed full of great information for all - homeowners to turf professionals. 

 

https://youtu.be/jaDEiLdxTxY

 

These updates give us a pulse of what is happening in turfgrass across the state from OSU experts. You will get a taste of insects, diseases...

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Authors
Amy Stone

Late Winter & Spring Turfgrass Diseases

Remember the majority of turfgrass problems are not caused by diseases but are the result of two key factors. #1. Adverse weather conditions that are not conducive for growing cool-season grasses.  #2. Injury or damage to the turfgrass plants from use and ware and/or maintenance procedure that were not properly executed.
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Authors
Joseph W. Rimelpsach
Todd E. Hicks
Amy Stone

Common Mullein- Mother Nature's Answer to Our Toilet Paper Shortage?

Common Mullein Article- Authored by David Marrison

Coshocton County Extension Educator

When the news broke that we would need to retreat to our homes due to Coronavirus-19, the run on milk, eggs, bread and toilet paper began at our local grocery stores.  I have been especially fascinated by the hoarding of toilet paper.  Every time I have been out to get food and supplies, the toilet paper shelves have been completely bare. 

 

As my wife Emily and I were out taking a...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Callery Pear: the Jekyll and Hyde Tree

Last year, I vowed not to take any more pictures of blooming Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana). I have hundreds of pictures including some that I've labeled "Field of Pears." It's a 13.5-acre former farm field along I-75 just north of the exit for SR 129. The field is covered with escaped pears; no trees had ever been planted there. I've been taking shots of the field since 2010.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Loebner Magnolias Bloom in Columbus

Loebner Magnolia Article

Authored by Claudia Winslett

 

This is the first bygl-alert over the next several weeks from students in the Horticulture and Crop Science 3410 class, “Sustainable Landscape Maintenance”, now meeting virtually. This alert text and images are by Claudia Winslett (the posting indicates the author is Jim Chatfield; we are working on changing this as students begin submitting these articles).  The pictures are from Columbus, Ohio with its Growing Degree-Days of 99 as of this Sunday. Magnolia stellata, one of the...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Mysterious Mukdenia

Mukdenia rossii (Mukdenia), is a perennial plant (hardy to USDA zones 4-8) well suited to Ohio gardens, yet it remains known only by a few gardeners. This native of China forms  a low-growing rhizomatous clump 8-12” tall and 1-2 feet wide (though it will take years to form a clump that large!). In China it can be found on rocky slopes and ravines, which tells us something about growing it in our own gardens.
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Authors
Paul Snyder
What Is That?: Take Notice of Winter Annual Weeds kulhanek.5 Fri, 03/27/2020 - 12:00

Many among us have found ourselves confined to quarters over the last few weeks.  During times like these, I find I have more time to be observant in my yard and garden, resulting in the inevitable shout of, "WHAT IS THAT????"   Perhaps some of you too are noticing new plants or critters as you soak up the sun on days like today!  While out walking my cat, Mew Mew, (a superstar plant-lover in her own right) we got ourselves tangled up in some winter annual weeds, Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) and  Catchweed Bedstraw (Galium aparine).  

 ...

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Authors
Ashley Kulhanek

Holy Hellebores!

Everyone anticipates spring’s arrival and subsequent awakening of plants from their winter slumber. If you’re like me, every plant exhibiting signs of life is exciting: from the complex flowers Acer saccharinum to the showy flowers of the magnolias, all are welcome. At Secrest Arboretum you can find many plants that remain unknown to the average gardener, but there is one plant that seems to remain in obscurity-Helleborous, or...

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Authors
Paul Snyder

Bark Stripper Squirrels

Tom deHass (OSU Extension, Lake County) showed pictures during this week's BYGL Zoom Inservice of heavy bark-stripping damage he observed in Pete's Pond Preserve in northeast Ohio. I've also received reports and images of damage occurring elsewhere in Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

The First Disease of the Year is... PINK!

I was so thrilled that finally here in NE Ohio we have a FIRST report instead of our typical lagging behind the rest of the state!  The first detectable disease of the year is noticeable on turf as a necrotic area with an apparently PINK border!  The fungal pathogen involved is Microdochium nivale and the disease is commonly called Pink Snow Mold (PSM).

 

...
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Authors
Erik Draper

Beetles Emerge from Firewood

I received an e-mail message from a homeowner asking for an ID of large beetles flying around their home. An attached image revealed the culprit to be painted hickory borers. This and other wood-boring beetles can emerge from firewood stored in or around homes to the surprise and consternation of homeowners.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Crocus By Other Names

Crocus is a familiar spring flower in gardens this time of year. But there are Autumn-blooming types of crocus as well. And there are two very different types of plants that are given the name of Autumn-blooming crocus, though they are different in many important ways. Let us clarify.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield

News from OSU Extension - COVID-19

The information below was taken from a news release that was recently sent out to Extension Offices across the buckeye state. While you will see that offices have been closed and staff will be implementing teleworking options, know that the Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL) will continue business as usual and alerts will continue to be posted. It is an interesting time - stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to stay updated on BYGL! 
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Authors
Amy Stone

White Pine Weevil Report

Female white pine weevils spend the winter out of sight cooling their six heels in the duff beneath their pine or spruce targets. As temperatures warm in the spring, they climb their hosts to feed and lay eggs in the terminals. Sap oozing from small holes in the terminals is a calling card of this weevil.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Growing Degree Days (GDD) - What Is Your #?

While we are living in a world with cancellations, postponements, and social distancing, the spring season has not been canceled, and as a matter of fact the season is progressing. A great way to track that progression is through Growing Degree Day (GDD) Accumulations and the Plant Phenology Network. While many of you might be familiar with GDDs and Plant Phenology, this initial alert will serve as an introduction. It might be new-news for some, or a refresher for others. Additional BYGL Alerts will follow as we track the progression of spring, and ultimately summer, in the buckeye state.
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Authors
Amy Stone

The Rise of Poison Hemlock

Poison hemlock is a non-native biennial weed that spends its first year as a low-growing basal rosette; the stage that is currently very apparent. Targeting this stage for control will eliminate the first-year rosettes and prevent the development of the towering flowering stage.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

The Rise of Lesser Celandine

Lesser Celandine is now very evident in southern Ohio. Blooms have not yet appeared; however, this conspicuous life-cycle stage is just around the corner. Be on the lookout for this highly-invasive non-native weed and take steps to eradicate it from Ohio forests and landscapes.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

OSU Sports Turf Management Update

If your job involves maintaining a field where athletes, no matter their age, are kicking a ball towards an opponent's goal, you know soccer season has arrived. Maybe your connection to the sport is from a different perspective, perhaps your son or daughter is on a soccer team. No matter the connection, everyone would like a nice field. Earlier this week, Dr. Pamela Sherratt with OSU posted an article on the University's Sports Turf Management Website. We thought it was important to share this post for a couple reasons. The first, to share this excellent educational resource for readers of...
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Authors
Amy Stone

Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Expanded in Pennsylvania - What Does That Mean For Ohio

Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) announced the expansion of the Pennsylvania's Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) Quarantine to include 12 additional counties, bringing the total number of  quarantined counties to 26. Two of the counties (Beaver and Allegheny) that have been recently added, are located in western PA, with Beaver County neighboring or adjacent to Ohio's Columbiana Couty.
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Authors
Amy Stone

2020 Ohio Vegetable Trials

The Ohio State University is conducting vegetable trials with home gardeners. We want your opinion as to what grows well in Ohio and what Ohioans prefer (including the taste). There will be two sets of trials this year; spring trials and summer trials. Each will have five vegetables to choose from. You may choose how many of these that you would like to try in your garden. For each vegetable there will be two varieties to test side-by-side. Each vegetable trial will cost $3 and will include enough seed to grow a 10 foot row of each variety, growing instructions with garden layout...

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Authors
Carri Jagger

Spring is In Sight

Spring is just around the corner and I'm sure everyone is eager to get into the garden. A couple of things you can be working on to prepare your garden for spring are soil sampling and seed starting.
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Authors
Carri Jagger

A Super Time to Scout for Bagworm! (Cone in the middle)

With the Big (football) Game approaching this week, we have a Big opportunity to look for some potential Big problems with our evergreens. When a tree just doesn’t ‘look right’ from a distance, you can begin to assume that something isn’t right with the tree. Winter is a great time to make some of those observations. Bagworm may be the reason.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

How To Keep Your Poinsettia Looking Its Best

Poinsettias are considered by many one of America’s favorite holiday plants. Whether you prefer the traditional red, white, pink, or any of the marbled and speckled varieties now available, you want to make sure you select a healthy plant and take steps to properly care for it so it thrives over the holidays and hopefully even longer.
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Authors
Amy Stone
Pam Bennett

Is It A Pine, Spruce, or Fir?

Everyone has probably struggled with plant identification at some point in their life. While some of us may still be learning - it can be on ongoing process, others may have mastered the skills involved in identifying plants in the landscape, woodlots or streetscapes.
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Authors
Amy Stone
Curtis E. Young

Scouting for Scale at Solstice

Winter Solstice, the first day of winter seems like an unusual time to be outside looking for insects. However, it is an excellent time to scout for both Soft Scale and Armored Scale. With the leaves off trees and shrubs, it is easy to find plants with signs of scale damage and scale.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

See You at the 2019 Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course

The 2019 Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course is just 4 weeks away. The Short Course will be held on December 3, 4 and 5 at the Columbus Convention Center in collaboration with the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Show. Participants will need register through OTF and can attend educational sessions at both the Short Course and the OTF Conference. It is like two programs in one! 
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Authors
Amy Stone

Putting Ash Wood to Good Use - Lessons from the Urban Wood Network

Earlier this month, Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) hosted an online webiner entitled, "Putting Ash Wood to Good Use - Lessons from the Urban Wood Network." While many of us from Ohio have already lived through the devastation of EAB; some may have utilized the ash, some may have not, but either way, you will enjoy the webinar presented by Don Peterson, executive director of the Urban Wood Network.  
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Authors
Amy Stone

Hemlock Woolly Adegid – A 2019 update

In mid-October 2019, Jim Chatfield, Amy Stone, and Thomas deHaas attended the Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (CASRI) to discuss conifer health, specifically, Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) and hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) (HWA). HWA was first discovered in West Virginia in 1992.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas
Jim Chatfield
Amy Stone

Weird Willow Galls

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.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Last Hurrah for Willow Sawfly

Kris Stone, Director of the Boone County Arboretum and horticulturist extraordinaire, texted images this past Friday of Willow Sawfly (Nematus ventralis) larvae chowing down on the leaves of a Dewystem Willow (Salix irrorata) in his home landscape. It was a reminder that although the plant pest season may be drawing to a close, it ain't over 'til it's over.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

The National Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Eradication Program Scores a "Win"

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 in 9 plant families. This includes all native maples, a preferred host. The ripple effect across many forest ecosystems also means the potential loss of plant and animal species dependent upon those ecosystems.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Workshop on Treating for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) and Elongate Hemlock Scale (EHS)

Tom Macy (Forest Health Program Administrator, Division of Forestry, Ohio Department of Natural Resources) has organized a workshop on treatment options for two non-native invasive pests threatening hemlock in Ohio: hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) and Elongate Hemlock Scale (EHS).
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Dave Shetlar

Fall Color may Indicate MORE than the approach of Autumn!

I received a call recently from Miguel Preza, the Integrated Pest Manager for a local nursery about the onset of early fall color. He said something very helpful, “If the tree or shrub looks different than the others, take a closer look. In a planting of red Maples Acer rubrum, a couple of trees were showing fall color ahead of the others. On closer inspection, the trees in color were infested with oyster shell scale.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Bees love the SON!

Seven-son Flower draws hundreds of bees. In the fall we think of pollinators as mostly flowers and perennials. We can forget that trees are some of our most important pollinators. And one of the best in the fall is Seven-son Flower (Heptacodium miconioides)
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

The Rise of Lazarus Lizards

So-called Lazarus Lizards were a topic in both a diagnostic walk-about and a meeting I was involved with last week. The lizard's common name is influenced by where you stand, literally. If you're an American herpetologist, you would call them European Wall Lizards. If you live in Europe, they are Common Wall Lizards. If you're a native Cincinnatian, you would likely call them Lazarus Lizards.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Last Hurrah for Catalpa Hornworms

Participants in the Greater Cincinnati BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About held this past Monday in the Boone County Arboretum (Union, KY) viewed second-generation Catalpa Hornworms (Ceratomia catalpae) enjoying a last hurrah before pupating this season. Their discovery led to a discussion on host preference, parasitoids, and a virus spun out of a wasp's genome
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Venomous Caterpillars

Participants in last week's Ohio Plant Diagnostic Workshop looked at but didn't touch, the Smaller Parasa (Parasa chloris). They kept their distance because the deceptively named caterpillar packs a venomous punch that's far from small. As with many creatures in Nature (e.g. crocodilians, mamba snakes, grizzly bears, etc.); these caterpillars should not be handled.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Say Hello to My Little Friends

Participants at last week's Ohio Plant Diagnostic Workshop in Secrest Arboretum (OSU OARDC) viewed the round, pointed galls produced by the Oak Rough Bulletgall Wasp on its namesake host. They also observed – at a distance – the buzzing security detail protecting the immature gall wasps developing within the galls.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Redheads Roll

This is the third BYGL Alert! this season that focuses on Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea). This Alert is in response to the numerous e-mail reports I've received of spectacularly large silk nests occurring in southwest Ohio. They are most likely the work of the red-headed fall webworm biotype.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Check Trees for ALB

August is the height of summer, and it is also the best time to spot the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) as it starts to emerge from trees. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is asking the public to take five minutes to step outside and report any signs of this invasive pest. Checking trees for the beetle will help residents protect their own trees and better direct USDA’s efforts to eradicate this beetle from the United States.
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Authors
Amy Stone

The Bagworm Season is in the Bag

The vast majority of Common Bagworm caterpillars in southwest Ohio have initiated their annual "tie-off" in preparation for pupation. Bags are tightly closed and tied with silk to a twig or other anchorage point. Likewise, male bagworms in the northwest part of the state have tied-off; however, some female caterpillars are continuing to feed.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Sustainable Landscape Workshop: September 3

Come one and all to the Sustainable Landscaping Workshop on September 3 at the Secrest Arboretum of the Ohio State University Wooster campus. Plant selection and matching to the site is the beginning and the key to landscaping success, followed by proper installation and maintenance. Come for a day of interaction, walking and talking.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield
Ann Chanon

Humboldt Sestercentennial

Alexander von Humboldt is one of the most important influencers of the Modern Age, yet we know so little of him; he taught us to embrace and understand our part in Nature, not to fear or conquer Nature. This September 13-14 we will celebrate the 250th Anniversary of his birth. Come one, come all to Secrest Arboretum in Wooster, Ohio for the festivities.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Remontant Recurrence Again

Plant blooms are the typical focus as we progress through a growing season, but people become panicky when plants don’t perform how they normally do.  It’s the time of year that concerned citizens call in wondering whether or not their magnolias or rhododendrons are signaling they are going to die.  When asked why they think that the plants are going to die, the response is always the same, “because they are blooming again and they already bloomed this year!”

 

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Authors
Erik Draper

Unholy Sacred Lotus

There are only two species of lotus worldwide: the American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) and the Sacred Lotus (N. nucifera) which is also called the Indian, Asian, or pink lotus. Both lotus species once belonged to the water-lily family, Nymphaeaceae, in the plant order Nymphaeales.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Oh, What a Tangled Web …

I've long held that this is the time of the year when the adults of several common web-spinning spiders in Ohio reach their maximum population densities. I can't cite any data to support this belief. It's based entirely on observing their gossamer creations; sometimes annoyingly up-close while hiking forest trials.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Be Alert to Elongate Hemlock Scale

Participants at yesterday's Greater Cincinnati BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About observed Elongate Hemlock Scale (EHS) on its namesake host. This non-native armored scale has a wide conifer host range beyond hemlocks. It may be found on firs, Douglas-fir, spruces, cedars, and occasionally pines and yews. I first came across EHS in southwest Ohio in 2010 infesting a Cilician fir in a high-profile landscape.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Red "Lipstick" Rust on Crabapples

As I was strolling through the crabapple fields in Wooster at Secrest Arboretum, I began to notice that something was significantly different than the last time that I had evaluated the trees.  Since I was evaluating the trees for apple scab, it suddenly struck me that I was also looking at a lot of polka-dot covered trees!  What in the world was going on?  As I looked closer at the foliage, the thing that stood out the most were the number of yellow-orange dots.

 

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Authors
Erik Draper

Vultures

I've had a long fascination with Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) starting when I was a kid in West Virginia. I liked to lay on the ground observing these avian gliders catching thermal updrafts to stay aloft for hours without flapping their wings. This stopped when one of my uncles observed that I looked dead.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Bladdernut Slug Sawfly Conundrum

I've observed sawfly larvae skeletonizing leaves on the same American bladdernut trees southwest Ohio in 2015, 2017, and again late last week. I've concluded they must cause little harm to the overall health of their bladdernut host because the trees continue to flourish despite providing some great photo ops of sawfly damage over the years!
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Sedum Flea Beetle Conundrum

We teach the importance of identifying a pest in order to develop an effective pest management plan. An accurate ID leads to learning about the pest's lifestyle including host range and numbers of generations per season. Occasionally, a significant insect pest somehow continues to fly below the radar of insect taxonomists.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Pavement Ants Have Stingers?

I received a phone call last Friday from a homeowner in Reynoldsburg, OH, who reported that his neighbor had been stung by a horde of aggressive ants. He called because he had seen a BYGL Alert posted last year on Asian Needle Ants in southwest Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Oriental Lilies Overwhelm Our Senses

As Oriental lilies are about halfway through their “bloombastic tour”, simply walking near them causes one to be stunned visually and in the olfactories too!  After drawing in the noticeable, spicy scent wafting all around and through the air nearby the plants, it gives the feeling that breathing the regular, old normal air seem stale!  That was just one of the differences between Asiatic and Oriental lilies, which I alluded to in an earlier BYGL article this year.

 

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Authors
Erik Draper

Bagworms Reveal Themselves!

This is the time of the year when Common Bagworms come into clear focus owing to their size and noticeable damage. Overwintered eggs hatched in southwest Ohio in early June (see "Be Alert to Bagworms!" posted on June 6). However, it's amazing how well these native moth caterpillars crawl below our radar until their burgeoning appetites finally gives them away.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Be Alert to Boxwood Blight

Boxwood Blight was recently confirmed in a private landscape in Greater Cincinnati by The Ohio State University's C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (PPDC). The disease causes a severe and usually rapid decline of susceptible boxwoods. Heavy defoliation and branch dieback can occur in a single season killing small plants.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Intriguing Little Barklice

This week I received two emails from clients about clusters of little insects all over their trees. After closely examining the pictures and sharing them with my Horticulture co-workers they confirmed that they were in fact Barklice.
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Authors
Carri Jagger

The Problem with Monarchical Rule

This is the time of the year when the menagerie of insects that feed on members of the dogbane family, including common milkweed, seem to arrive en masse to the consternation of monarchists. Some well-meaning gardeners aim to reserve milkweeds exclusively for the pleasure of monarchs. What about other native insects that feed on milkweeds; let them eat cake?
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Is it a Sawfly Larva or a Caterpillar?

Whenever I hear that the naturally occurring biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) is not killing caterpillars, the first thing I try to find out is whether or not the "caterpillars" are actually caterpillars. Btk products (e.g. Dipel, Thuricide, etc.) only kill caterpillars, they do not kill sawfly larvae.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Be Alert for Dogwood Sawfly

The common name of "Dogwood Sawfly" was officially assigned years ago when it was believed there was only one species, Macremphytus tarsatus. However, taxonomists later found there are actually three species of sawflies in the genus Macremphytus that feed on dogwood leaves in the eastern U.S. including Ohio: M. testaceus; M. semicornis; and M. tarsatus.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Gypsy Moth Adults Take Flight

The caterpillar feeding frenzy has ended for the year and adult activity is being observed in NW Ohio. The male moths have taken flight in their zig-zag pattern in hopes of finding a mate. The female moths are white and a bit larger in size, and typically don't move far distances from the pupal casing that they emerged from. She gives off a pheromone to alert close by males of her location. After a visit from the male moth, she will begin laying eggs. The mass of eggs laid now, will remain in that stage until the following spring. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

Perspectives on Sudden Oak Death (SOD)

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has announced in an official press release a confirmed interception of the plant disease-causing pathogen Phytophthora ramorum in Ohio. This water mold organism causes ramorum blight on over 100 host plants, including rhododendron and lilac, and sudden oak death (SOD) in coastal areas of California and Oregon.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

Walnut Petiole Gall

While taking pictures of Walnut Caterpillars, I noticed that the sometimes caterpillar-like Walnut Petiole Galls produced by an eriophyid mite are reaching their maximum size and becoming very evident on their namesake host. The galls are specific to black walnut and may occur on the petiole, rachis, and petiolules of the compound leaf.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Walnut Cats on the Prowl

Walnut caterpillars are producing noticeable defoliation in southwest Ohio. The moth caterpillars feed in groups, or "colonies," of 10-30 individuals throughout their development which is why their defoliation is often focused on a single branch or a group of adjoining branches. However, it's also why multiple colonies can quickly defoliate small trees.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

An American Tail: the Lotus and its Caterpillar

If you're in Greater Cincinnati and have the chance visit the beautiful Glenwood Gardens [Great Parks of Hamilton County], grab a map at the main office and ask how to hike to the "Lotus Pond." It's a bit of a hike, but do what I did and wait until the afternoon temperature climbs above 90 F. and the humidity allows you to wear the air. Who needs a sauna?
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Asiatic Lilies Blooming Like Crazy in NE Ohio

As I was driving around, I kept seeing out of the corner of my eyes some brilliant flashes of color in various landscapes.  I kept wondering what I was seeing so I had to stop and identify what was creating those brilliant flashes.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the intense colors were plantings of Asiatic lilies.  The colors were so vivid and so diverse that it was almost impossible to walk by them and not notice them!

 

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Authors
Erik Draper

Boxwood Leafminer 2020 Prediction

Boxwood leafminer activity is already very evident on their namesake host in southwest Ohio. This does not bode well for 2020. As the midge fly leaf mining activity further delaminates the upper and lower leaf surfaces, symptoms may become apparent by the end of this season. They will certainly intensify next spring.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Planthoppers Abound

Flatid planthoppers (family Flatidae, order Hemiptera) are relatively small insects with the adults measuring no more than around 1/4" in length. The adults and immatures (nymphs) look nothing alike which can lead to identification issues with connecting one to the other.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Turfgrass Times, 06.28.2019

Here is your link to the weekly video update (recorded on 06.28.2019) from the OSU Turfgrass Team. Updates are from Dr. David Shetlar, aka The Bug Doc; Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Ed Nangle; Dr. Pamela Sherratt (virtual); Joe Rimelspach; and Michael O'Keeffe this week.
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Authors
Amy Stone

A Most Beautiful Beetle

I post a BYGL Alert each year about Dogbane Beetles because the beetle's light-blending artistry makes it one of the most beautiful beetles found in Ohio. Enjoying these shimmering living gems on their namesake host is the entomology equivalent to "stop and smell the roses."
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Authors
Joe Boggs

First Generation Galls Appearing on Baldcypress

First generation galls produced by the Cypress Twig Gall Midge Fly are nearing maturity and are very apparent on baldcypress in southwest Ohio. The spongy, snow-white galls are most commonly found on baldcypress where heavy galling may occur year-after-year on highly susceptible trees. Galls may also arise to a lesser degree on pond cypress.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Gypsy Moth Caterpillars Killed By Fungus and Virus

Last year was an active year for gypsy moth in Ohio, especially what I was seeing personally in Lucas County (Toledo, Ohio). Earlier this season, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) treated ten identified blocks in Lucas County. There were also treatments made across the state for both larval control and mating distribution at part of the national program coordinated in Ohio by ODA. Information on the treatments made by ODA, including maps, can be found on their website at: https://agri.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/oda/divisions/plant-health/gypsy-moth-program/gypsy-moth-program  Additionally...
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Authors
Amy Stone

Decapitated Cone Heads

The handiwork of the sunflower headclipping weevil (Haplorhynchites aeneus) is just getting underway this season on purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) in southwest Ohio. The damage includes dangling seed heads and stems that looked like soda straws.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Perennial of the Week - Prickly Pear Cactus

When we think of cactus we often think hot and dry, maybe somewhere like Arizona, but not necessarily the buckeye state. It is exciting to see people's reaction when they learn they can grow a cactus in Ohio and that it will winter over and return year after year. The prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa) performs well in full sun and extremely well drained soils. Plant placement is very important as moist or wet soils can pose significant problems. In a year like we have been experiencing, even the most ideal spots could be a little troublesome in 2019 with all of the rain we have been...
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Authors
Amy Stone

ODNR Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Urban Forestry Assistance in Ohio

On Friday, June 21, 2019, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Forestry (DOF) celebrated the 40th Anniversary of their Urban Forestry Assistance Program at a Forum held at the Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds. ODNR Director Mary Mertz welcomed the audience attending a program developed to celebrate the last 40 years, and look forward to the next 40+ years. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

Turfgrass Times, 06.21.2019

Here is your link to the weekly video update (recorded on 06.21.2019) from the OSU Turfgrass Team. Updates are from Dr. David Shetlar, aka The Bug Doc; Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Ed Nangle; Dr. Pamela Sherratt; Joe Rimelspach; and Dr. Zane Raudenbush.
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Authors
Amy Stone

White-Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar Outbreaks

Heavy localized populations of white-marked tussock moth caterpillars are being reported in central and western Ohio. Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) showed images during this week's BYGL Zoom Inservice of caterpillars on a variety of hosts including rose and noted he had received reports of hot spots in Allen, Hancock, and Putnam Counties. I received a report from Franklin County of 100% defoliation of a landscape redbud.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Blistered Oak Leaves

Oak leaf blister and oak leaf blister mites produce look-a-like symptoms early in the growing season. Light green to greenish-yellow irregularly-shaped bulging "blisters" rise from the upper leaf surface. An accurate diagnosis requires flipping the leaves over to look at the lower leaf surface.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Poison Hemlock and Wild Parsnip are going to Seed in Southern Ohio

Poison hemlock and wild parsnip are two of our nastiest non-native weeds found in Ohio. Poison hemlock can kill you while wild parsnip may make you wish you were dead. Both are commonly found growing together and continuously wet conditions caused both to flourish this growing season. The size of some infestations has been remarkable. Poison hemlock produces white flowers on stalks that create a more rounded look; perhaps a bit more like an umbrella.  Wild parsnip has intense yellow flowers with the stalks producing a more flat-topped appearance.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Erik Draper

Crabs, Scab and then So Sad... Drab!

On the BYGL conference call, I shared that I am amazed at how the foliage of the greatest landscape small tree, the breathtaking crabapple, has remained relatively clean here in NE Ohio.  I was expecting with all of the rain this year, that we would quickly see what we Crabarians affectionately term “year of the scab dog”.  This “scab dog” effect is due to the fungal pathogen (Venturia inaequalis) causing extensive apple scab lesions on susceptible crabapple tree leaves.  Given our perfect environmental conditions for this fungal disease, I expected it to quickly...

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Authors
Erik Draper
Joe Boggs

Dogwoods Are Dazzling

While on our BYGL conference call, I shared the glorious status of Kousa dogwoods (Cornus kousa var. chinensis) right now in NE Ohio.  Only one word can describe them, “OUTSTANDING”!!  Then Joe Boggs from the southern reaches of the state, asked me to repeat what I said about the Kousa’s here.  I told him that they were just reaching their full glory and were unbelievable due to the cooler weather and moisture.

 

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Authors
Erik Draper

Periodical Cicada: Rounds 1 and 2

Brood VIII (Eight) of the 17-year periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) have made their presence known in parts of northeastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. As with past brood emergences, the overall geographical distribution is spotty; however, there are localized pockets with heavy cicada activity.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Magnolia Scale is Puffing-Up and Dripping Honeydew

Magnolia scale females are "puffing-up" and dripping copious quantities of honeydew in southwest Ohio. This native scale has a strong affinity for non-native magnolias and associated hybrids. Common hosts include star magnolia, lily magnolia, and saucer magnolia. Native magnolias are more resistant perhaps because of natural defenses that developed through a shared evolutionary history with the scale.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Yucca Plant Bug

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.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Herbaceous Plant School at Secrest: June 27

An Herbaceous Perennials and Annuals School ill be held at Secrest Arboretum on Thursday, June 27, featuring the stylings of Pam Bennett, OSU State Master Gardener Coordinator and Trial Gardens Guru, Matt Shultzman, the man behind Secrest's herbaceous plantings and more teachers and learned. Join us for good food, good walks and displays, and a whole lotta learnin'.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield
Pam Bennett

Woody of the Week - Kousa Dogwood

The kousa dogwood (Cornus florida) is an eye catcher. This 15 - 30 foot tall tree flowers a little later in the season compared to the native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). The flowers, including the bracts which some people call erroneously call petals, appear above the tree's foliage. I have observed the bracts holding on for weeks. The fruit will develop as the season progresses and I have observed the squirrels having a feast as they ripen. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

Oddball Fern-Balls

I received an e-mail message a couple of weeks ago with images showing the tips of ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) fronds rolled into tight ball-like structures. One of the images showed a "fern-ball" opened to reveal a translucent caterpillar.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Turfgrass Times, 06.07.2019

Here is your link to the weekly video update from the OSU Turfgrass Team. Updates are from Dr. David Shetlar, aka The Bug Doc; Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Ed Nangle; Dr. Pamela Sherratt; Joe Rimelspach; Dr. Karl Dannenberger; and Dr. Zane Raudenbush.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Basswood Lace Bug on Silver Linden: Harbingers of the Lace Bug Season

I've long admired silver linden with its dark green leaves accentuated by silver undersides. This tough tree is able to handle many of the urban slings and arrows that send less hardy trees to wood chippers. However, this eastern European native seems to be having a growing challenge with our native basswood lace bugs.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Scuzzy Looking Oaks

Holes and blotch-type leafmines produced by the oak shothole leafminer coupled with necrotic tissue caused by oak anthracnose are combining to make some oaks in southwest Ohio look pretty scuzzy. The bad news is nothing can be done now to reverse the damage. The good news is that neither of these occasional springtime afflictions has a history of causing significant harm to the overall health of their oak hosts.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Watch Out Four-Line Plant Bug - She Means Business (For Real This Time!)

In 2018, around this same time period, I wrote a BYGL Alert about the damage in my garden caused by the four-lined plant bug (Poecilocapus lineatus). I was a bit upset because of the amount of damage to a wide variety of plants. I SAID I was going to take action but of course, I never got around to it. Well, that's about to change this year!
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Authors
Pam Bennett

Snipe Hunting

Participants in today's Greater Cincinnati BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About had a successful snipe hunt at the Cincinnati Nature Center. I'm not talking about the mythical forest creature that's only ever been seen by camp counselors or older siblings.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Look Before You Sit on Concrete

We're seeing large numbers of tiny, fast-moving bright red mites scurrying around on sunny surfaces such as on picnic tables, patios, sidewalks, concrete retaining walls, and on the outside walls of homes and buildings in southern Ohio. These nuisance mites belong to the genus Balaustium (family Erythraeidae) and are sometimes called "concrete mites" owing to locations where they tend to congregate.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Rise of Fall Webworms

First-generation nests of the deceptively named fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) are now becoming evident in Ohio. This native moth has two generations per season in Ohio with the first-generation appearing once the overwintered eggs hatch.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Bedraggled Elms: Galling Conditions

The leaves of native elms can look a bit bedraggled at this time of the year owing to rise of pouch-like elm sack galls and the descriptively named elm cockscomb galls. Fortunately, neither of these aphid galls produce significant injury to the overall health of their elm tree host. Unfortunately, these odd looking plant structures can spoil the aesthetics of their deep green elm leaf platforms.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Bedraggled Elms: Elm Leafminer Sawfly

The leaves of native elms, non-natives, and hybrids can look a bit bedraggled at this time of the year owing to the leafmining activity of the elm leafminer sawfly. Fortunately, leafmining by the sawfly larvae has drawn to a close for the season, so the damage you see now will be the most damage that you'll see this season. Unfortunately, sawfly development has moved past effective control options meaning that you'll have to live with the current damage.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Bedraggled Elms: the Weevil

The leaves of native elms, non-natives, and hybrids can look a bit bedraggled at this time of the year owing to the adult pit feeding activity and larval leafmining activity of the elm flea weevil. Fortunately, leafmining by the weevil has drawn to a close, so the damage you see now will be the most damage that you'll see this season. Unfortunately, round two of the adult weevil damage is already underway.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Calico Scale Egg Hatch

Calico scale eggs located beneath helmet-shaped females are beginning to hatch in southwest Ohio. This life cycle event happens quickly; the small number of 1st instar nymphs that I spotted yesterday will soon become a horde. Unlike armored scales, all nymphal stages of this soft scale are mobile, so nymphs can be called "crawlers" throughout their development.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Galls on Azaleas

Early today, a NW Ohio resident called the Extension Office concerned about the leaves on her azaleas. She described the leaves as beginning to appear contorted and that there were growths that were thickening. The problem seemed to be getting worse and covering more of the leaves. The homeowner had several plants near the house's foundation and another plant along a sidewalk. All were exhibiting similar signs and symptoms, but some were more infected than others. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

What are Your Plant Pest, Disease, and Weed Management Challenges?

The Inter-regional Research Project #4 (IR-4 Project) conducts biennial surveys to learn the pest, disease, and weed management challenges faced by the Green Industry. The survey results are used to guide research and to facilitate the registrations of conventional chemical pesticides as well as biopesticides.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Picking Up Pawpaws.. Blooming

As I was in the throes of cutting and baling my overgrown lawn last week in Northeast Ohio, I was pleasantly surprised to see a profuse flower display on my Pawpaw (Asmina triloba) trees!  I can’t recall ever seeing so many buds and blooms on the tree, especially the numbers which were noted this season.  Now some may opine that the green, brown fuzz covered bud scales are the reason most people ignore and consequently, miss the real floral display, because the buds seem so uninspiring. 

 

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Authors
Erik Draper

The Wrath of Grapes

The bristly, lumpy round galls produced by the grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, family Phylloxeridae) may dominate our perception of galls on grapes. Indeed, these peculiar plant structures are a common feature on the lower leaf surfaces of wild grapes (Vitis spp.) in Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Dripping Tuliptrees

Liriodendron tulipifera is showing off its tulip-like flame-based flowers in southwest Ohio. This has long been one of my favorite trees even though I'm never quite sure what to call it or exactly how to spell it. I'm not alone.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Annual Maple Leaf-Drop

Finding large numbers of green leaves littering the ground beneath maple trees wouldn't be a surprise given the recent high winds and heavy rains over much of Ohio. However, you should take a second look at this time of the year for short petioles on the shed leaves and broken petioles remaining attached to the tree. Both are tell-tale symptoms of the maple petiole borer.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Be Alert for "Mud Chimneys"

The rise of "mud chimneys" produced by burrowing crayfish has long been one of my favorite harbingers of spring. These unusual mud structures are often described as looking like chimneys because of their cylindrical shape and large, round hole in the center. No other animal produces such unique mud structures in Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Wilted, Rolled, and Mined Buckeye Leaves

Buckeye and horsechestnut tree canopies tend to be remarkably free of insect pest damage except for the depredations of some general defoliators. However, if you're cruising Ohio woodlands this spring, you may run across three types of leaf damage. None of the damage appears to cause serious harm to overall tree health, but the symptoms can be obvious.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Yellow Fields Forever

The dichotomous nature of Cressleaf Groundsel (a.k.a. Butterweed) tests the tolerance of lovers of native wildflowers. On one hand, a sea of golden-yellow flowers carpeting farm fields in Ohio provides welcome relief from highway monotony. On the other hand, upright 2 – 3' tall plants dominating Ohio landscapes presents a weed management challenge.
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Joe Boggs

Fiery Eye-Candy

I came across one of the most striking beetles today that you'll ever find in Ohio. The fittingly named Fiery Searcher Caterpillar Hunter (Calosoma scrutator) are best described as beauty with a bite.
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Joe Boggs

The European Paper Wasp Conundrum

European paper wasps have presented a conundrum over the past several years in Ohio. The literature notes these wasps were first found in North America in the 1970s near Boston, MA. They are now found throughout much of the U.S. and parts of Canada. However, after becoming the dominant paper wasp in Ohio, they've all but disappeared in recent years.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young
Dave Shetlar

Bladdergall Enlightenment

My introduction to the wonderful world of plant galls began with observing vibrant red, wart-like galls, known as "bladdergalls," adorning the upper leaf surfaces of a silver maple tree. The galls consist entirely of plant tissue and are produced under the plant gene-manipulating direction of the Maple Bladdergall Mite (family Eriophyidae). I'm probably not alone with this being the first gall ever encountered.
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Joe Boggs

Sycamore and Ash Anthracnose

Symptoms of two host-specific fungal anthracnose diseases are becoming apparent in southwest Ohio.  Ash anthracnose was announced by the appearance of irregularly shaped reddish-brown, blotchy spots along the edges of the leaflets.  The leaf necrosis often causes the leaflets to curl and severe infections may lead to defoliation.
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Joe Boggs

Be Alert to Wild Parsnip!

Second-year wild parsnip plants are producing deeply grooved flower stalks topped by characteristic bright yellow blooms in southern Ohio. Landscape managers and gardeners should exercise extreme caution around this non-native invasive biennial plant.
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Joe Boggs

Blue Week in Northwest Ohio

Each May, the partners of the Green Ribbon Initiative assemble a wide array of programs to encourage people to get out into the amazing region in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. This globally unique region is home to a wide variety of plants and animals such as wild blue lupine, Karner blue butterflies, blue spotted salamanders, big and little bluestem, blueberries, bluebirds, blue racers and much, much more.  We love our blues! 
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Amy Stone

Dogs Gone Wild!

Dogwoods are in full bloom in Northeast Ohio. They are beautiful: Whites, Pinks and Pale Pink. However, are you sure that is what you want to install?
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Thomas deHaas

Woody Phomopsis Galls

Dave Leonard (Consulting Arborist, Dave Leonard Tree Services, Lexington, KY) brought a fascinating gall sample to the Greater Cincinnati Diagnostic Walk-About last week. The woody galls were on hickory (Carya sp.) and sparked an informative diagnostic discussion among the participants.
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Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield

Interesting Oak Leaf Insect Galls

I came across a number of interesting oak leaf insect galls during hikes this week in several local parks. Oaks are prime gall-fodder providing support for over 800 different types of galls. It's why I find oaks so interesting. Three-quarters of the gall-makers belong to two families: the wasp family Cynipidae; and the "gall midge" family Cecidomyiidae (cecido means "gall").
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Joe Boggs

Boxwood Leafminer Flies Fly

Participants in this week's Greater Cincinnati BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About were treated to an enormous swarm of boxwood leafminer adult flies flitting around their namesake host. The flies are a type of wood midge and belong to the same family (Cecidomyiidae) as gall midges.
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Joe Boggs

Biggest Week in American Birding

What do an estimated 90,000 people from 50 states, 52 countries and 6 continents do each spring? Every year, birders from across the world flock to NW Ohio to see the migrating birds. The Biggest Week in American Birding is underway for the 10th consecutive year. The week officially runs from May 3 - 12 this year.
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Amy Stone

How Plants Mate: Upcoming Program

How Plants Mate is not just for botanists. Understanding the nuances and variability of the different modes is a key horticultural skill, whether plants are dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants) or the vagaries of grafting and making new plants through propagation, How Plants Mate is central knowledge.
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Jim Chatfield

Land of the Bizarre: Tree Moats and Volcano Mulch

Sometimes we run across bizarre things in Ohio landscapes that simply defy explanation. Such was the case yesterday when I came across "tree moats" (sometimes called "mulch moats") in a park near my home in the southwest part of the state. I've encountered this bizarre practice before and fail to fathom the logic behind this ludicrous practice.
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Joe Boggs

Annual of the Week - Lantana

If you are looking for an annual that flowers all summer long, attracts pollinators and is low maintenance Lantana is your plant. Lantana is native to the tropical Americas and Africa and is in the Verbenaceae Family.  In Ohio, it is grown as a garden annual and is valued for its long season of reliable blooms.
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Julie Crook

SADD Garden brings Happiness!

Students at Perry High School in the group, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) installed the Good Decision Garden at the entrance of the school. Students walk past the planting as they arrive and leave school each day, enjoying the flowering display all spring.
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Thomas deHaas

Be Alert for Pine Needle Scale Crawlers

Pine Needle Scale was once a common and troubling pest back when Mugo pines rivaled yews and junipers as one of the most common landscape plants in Ohio and Scotch pine was THE Christmas tree grown in our plantations. However, that's changed over the years. As mugos and Scotch have become less common in our landscapes and Christmas tree plantations, so has the occurrence of pine needle scale.
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Joe Boggs

Helicopters Fly over Lake County in May!

What are those Helicopters spraying? Helicopters were flying over Perry, Ohio on May 25, 2018 last year spraying tree lines and nursery stock. What were they spraying? Why from a helicopter? Lake County is one of 51 counties in Ohio that fall under the European Gypsy Moth Quarantine. Currently 51 counties in Ohio are regulated under the Gypsy Moth quarantine. One main requirement for the compliance agreement is that nurseries must apply a USDA-approved insecticide to the entire growing area in mid to late May.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Rusts Arise!

Colorful displays of three types of rust fungi are appearing on junipers in Ohio. The fungi belong to the genus Gymnosporangium and they complete part of their life-cycle on members of the plant genus Juniperus and the other part of their life-cycle on members of the family Rosaceae. In biological terms, this type of life-cycle is known as "heteroecious."
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Joe Boggs

Red Bark on Sycamore and London Planetrees

Last Wednesday, Jerry Frankenhoff (Urban Forester, Great Parks of Hamilton County) sent an e-mail message asking about red staining on the bark of sycamore trees. He wrote that he'd never seen anything like this before. I was shocked when I looked at his attached image. Likewise, I had never before seen the unusual reddening symptoms on sycamore or any other tree.
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Joe Boggs

Imperial Fritillary

The imperial fritillary or crown imperial (Fritillary imperialis) is blooming in gardens in northwest Ohio now. The plant comes in various shades of yellows, oranges and reds. The pendulous flowers are about 2" long and are found clustered at the terminal end of stout and leafless stem that towers above the leaves below. Above the flowers are a sheaf of smaller leaves that form a tuft of green as shown in the photo below.
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Amy Stone

Leaking Trees

From my perspective, one of the most rewarding things about plant problem diagnostics is not just about achieving a successful diagnosis; it's what we learn from the instructive twists and turns along the way. Arthur Ashe captured it nicely, "Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome."
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Joe Boggs

What's Your GDD?

Has anyone every asked you, "what's your GDD?" While many of you may have responded "yes," or may have even thought, "I ask others all the time"; I know there are some that probably yelled out their current GDD when simply reading the title of this alert. If you are still wondering what the heck is GDD - keep on reading, you won't be disappointed and will hopefully click on the link below to find out your GDD to date. 

  

GDD stands for growing degree days. GDD are a measurement of the growth and development of plants and insects during the...

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Amy Stone

Be Alert for Boxwood Leafminer

Boxwoods with yellow to brown leaves are common this spring in a number of locations in Ohio. Some of the leaf browning is due to winter injury; some was caused by salt damage. However, a close examination may also reveal the telltale blister-like leaf symptoms caused by the boxwood leafminer.
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Joe Boggs

How To Hire An Arborist

Ohio State University Extension's Home Yard and Garden FactSheet HYG-1032 has been update and is available online. The OSU FactSheet includes tips for selecting an arborist and resources available to help find an arborist.  
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Amy Stone

Green Tigers Prowling Forest Trails

I spotted one of my favorite insect predators darting about on a forest trail yesterday: six-spotted tiger beetles. Their common name is well justified as these tiny "tigers" hunt, kill, and eat other insects. They are equipped with huge eyes for excellent eyesight, long legs for agile speed, and huge mandibles for grabbing prey.
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Joe Boggs

Soil Mining Bees on the Wing

Dalton Westerbeck with Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum e-mailed me Wednesday to report that soil "mining bees" are waking from their winter naps. Dalton is an ISA Certified Arborist and an Ohio State Beekeepers Association, Master Beekeeper. He is locating and marking all of the mining bee "colonies" in the Grove so he can document their population densities and seasonal development.
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Joe Boggs

Name That Insect . . .

As temperatures warm, people are outside enjoying the almost, spring-like weather. There are still a few waiting for even warmer temperatures to arrive and stick around for more than a day - you know who you are. As everyone migrates outdoors as temperatures rise, the chances of an insect encounter will be pretty high. At the first encounter, many people may have an urge to "eliminate" the six legged species.
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Amy Stone

Learn More About Ash Hazards

Earlier this month, Joe Boggs authored a BYGL Alert entitled, Ash Breakage: the Hazard Continues (March 19, 2019). To follow-up with this topic, we wanted to alert you to an upcoming webinar from EAB University called Dead Ash Dangers and Considerations for Risk and Removal.
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Amy Stone

Be Alert to Poison Hemlock

Poison hemlock is a non-native biennial weed that spends its first year as a low-growing basal rosette; the stage that is currently very apparent. During its second year, plants produce erect, towering stalks and multi-branched stems topped with umbrella-like flowers. Mature plants can measure 6-10' tall and are prolific seed producers.
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Joe Boggs

Be Alert for White Pine Weevil

White Pine Weevil females spend the winter out of sight cooling their six heels in the duff beneath their pine or spruce targets. As temperatures warm in the spring, they climb their hosts to feed and lay eggs in the terminals. Sap oozing from small holes in the terminals is a calling card of this weevil.
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Joe Boggs

Ash Breakage: the Hazard Continues

During our BYGL Zoom Inservice today, the group discussed the continual hazard presented by ash trees that have been killed by (EAB, Agrilus planipennis). Participants located throughout Ohio noted that walks in the woods remain a serious risk with dead ash trees breaking or toppling over onto walking trails.
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Joe Boggs

The Girdle you HATE to see!

What is the worst girdle? A girdling root or roots. These seemingly harmless roots will eventually weaken, strangling and in many cases kill the tree. Or, girdling roots will weaken the tree to a point making it susceptible to break off in the wind.
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Thomas deHaas

Lesser Celandine is on the Rise

Lesser Celandine plants are starting to rise in southern Ohio. This non-native is known as a "spring ephemeral" owing to the time of year when the short-lived plants and flowers are present. The majority of this weed's hide-and-seek life-cycle is spent hidden from view as underground tubers.
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Joe Boggs

National Invasive Species Awareness Week, February 25 - March 3, 2019

Today, February 25, 2019 kicks-off National Invasive Species Awareness Week! While meetings, programs, and events are scheduled in Washington DC, we can use the week as a way to raise awareness right here in the buckeye state. Please share this alert with your colleagues, clients, friends and family to help spread the word about invasive species. 
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Amy Stone

Cold Temperatures Blow Into The Buckeye State

I think it is safe to say everyone is watching the weather forecast, specifically the bone-chilling temperatures that are making their way towards Ohio. Temperatures are predicted to be below zero and falling into the double digits beginning this evening (01.29.2019) through Thursday (01.31.2019). Wind chills are expected to be in the negative twenties, and could reach the negative forties depending upon location.
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Amy Stone

Open Comment Period Following New Additions to the OIPC Invasive Plant List

The Ohio Invasive Plant Council (OIPC) recently released information on the assessment of 9 new plant species for inclusion on their list of invasive plants. With this announcement also begins a 6-month public comment period for the new additions to the list.  Comments, suggestions or questions during this period should be directed to Theresa Culley (theresa.culley@uc.edu).  
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Amy Stone
Joe Boggs

ODA Announces 2019 Gypsy Moth Open Houses

The gypsy moth is a non-native pest that feeds on leaves and needles of over 300 different trees in the buckeye state. The feeding injury occurs in the spring and early summer when populations are present. The early season feeding, when heavy, causes the plants to push new leaves that ultimately are the food-factories for the rest of the year. Healthy deciduous trees can usually recover as long as there isn't repeat defoliation year after year. Evergreens can die in a single season. 
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Amy Stone

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire...

 

 

A diagnostic sample this week had me thinking about this yuletide carol.  A visitor brought a bowl of chestnuts to the Extension Office this week.  This tree has been producing for many years, but the nuts within never fill out into the round tasty treats associated with the holidays.  What is going on?

 

 

...

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Ashley Kulhanek

You're a Mean One... Mr. Recluse?

 

It's the holiday season (the holiday season...) and many are digging in attics and basements for decorations and bows, stored sweaters, coats and yes... SNOW boots.  Inevitably, Extension offices receive calls about the unfortunate spider (or stink bug) that was found, dead or alive, while sifting through packages, boxes or bags that haven't seen the light of day for a year.  The question is, "Is it a brown recluse?"

 

 

...

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Ashley Kulhanek

An Unusual Insect-Killing Fungus

I received an e-mail message this past Wednesday from Tom Macy (ODNR) concerning efforts to discover locations of the non-native elongate hemlock scale in Ohio and other states. His message included two attached images taken by Bill Laubscher (Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry) on November 20 that showed both the scale as well as odd looking blackened accretions on hemlock needles.
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Joe Boggs

An Icy Awakening

The Tri-State region in southwest Ohio experienced an ice storm overnight this past Wednesday. Although the official accumulation of ice due to freezing rain reported at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport was only 0.22", the number of homes and businesses in Greater Cincinnati without power yesterday morning exceeded 200,000. Why such a high impact from only 1/4" of ice?
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Joe Boggs

Strengthen Your Diagnostic Skills Through Learning

I recently heard "snowflakes" are in the forecast. As temperatures drop, it is a great time to get indoors, increase knowledge, network and earn credits. One of those opportunities in December is the OSU Green Industry Short Course held in conjunction with the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation's (OTF) Conference and Tradeshow. It is one registration that covers three days of training broken out into different educational tracks.
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Amy Stone

Ohio Turfgrass Conference and Tradeshow and OSU Short Course - December 4 - 6, 2018

The season is winding down and now is the time to plan your educational opportunities - learn the latest, earn credits and network with others in the industry. The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation and Tradeshow in cooperation with the Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course will be held on December 4 - 6 at the Columbus Convention Center.
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Amy Stone

New Ohio State App Helps Users Identify, Prevent and Control Bed Bugs

Not sure if the dark speck that crawled across your desk at work was a bed bug? Wondering if the tiny insect you saw on the seat next to you at the movie theater or on the bus was a bed bug? How about that fleck you thought you saw on the corner of the mattress the last time you stayed in a hotel? A researcher at The Ohio State University has created a free new app to help you figure it out.
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Kissing Cousin Bugs

I've received four e-mail messages since late last week from concerned Ohio homeowners who asked about controlling kissing bugs. However, two included images of western conifer seed bugs which is a type of leaffooted bug. One message had images of boxelder bugs and one person included a very nice picture of a wheel bug found on their porch.
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Joe Boggs

A Society of Unsung Heroes

I did a teaching presentation on Asian longhorned beetle this Tuesday at the Horticulture Inspection Society (HIS), Central Chapter's 48th Annual Conference held in Holland, MI. Other presentations covered international exports, plant taxonomy, hemlock woolly adelgid, spotted lanternfly, to name just a few topics
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Joe Boggs

A Spicy Surprise

I received a container of ground cayenne peppers with a surprise far greater than the capsaicin kick. The product was heavily infested with cigarette beetles. The homeowner noted they hadn't used the product for some time. However, they had noticed small brown beetles buzzing around their home and collecting on their window seals.
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Joe Boggs

A Most Unusual Grub

I came across a green June beetle larva (grub) last Thursday slowly slinking across a driveway. This is one of largest and strangest white grubs you'll ever see in Ohio. First, the mature grubs are huge measuring well over 1" in length. They look like white grubs on steroids.
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Joe Boggs

Bullet Galls and Their Guards

Oak bullet galls have reached their maximum size for the season and will soon release their developing female wasps. The galls arise from twigs and are produced under the direction of several species of cynipid wasps (family Cynipidae). So, you may find different types of bullet galls depending on the exact gall-making wasp species that directed their creation.
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Joe Boggs

Small but Mighty Fly

I came across a beautiful little native fly this week while taking pictures of pollinators on common goldenrod. The fly, Trichopoda pennipes, doesn't have a common name, but some web-based resources refer to it as the "feather-legged fly." This is not entirely correct.
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Joe Boggs

What Lies Beneath

I enjoy making unexpected discoveries with one revelation leading to the next and then the next like pulling apart one of those Russian nesting dolls. My chain of discoveries started with finding "fresh" puffball mushrooms during a walk in a local park. I was thrilled because I had never taken pictures of the early stages of these peculiar looking mushrooms.
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Joe Boggs

Cucumber Beetles Wreaking Havoc - IN THE FLOWER BEDS!

Take note!  Every few years it seems that there are high populations of spotted cucumber beetles that have moved from vegetable gardens into the flower beds.  They love to feed on the supple, tender sweet petals of dahlia, mum, petunia, portulaca, sunflower and many others.  Joe Boggs did a quick check in his area and found them feeding on Jerusalum artichokes.  Joe also noted that this is his "go-to indicator plant" when inspecting for this pest in his area.  They seemed to be working the salvia but not actually feeding on it.  
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Authors
Pam Bennett

Annual of the Week - Popcorn Plant

Scratch and sniff horticulture - there is nothing better. How many remember the stickers that you had when you were younger? The ones that with a scratch of your nail, the smell radiated from the paper. This should have been a sticker to enjoy year round, not just during the growing season! And then of course the plant should be enjoyed during the late spring, summer and into early fall.
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Amy Stone

Lesson Learned

This week, I had a backyard hobby orchard grower stop in the office. Extension has always been a resource for his father when he was growing, and now the son. While we discussed common pest problems of apples and pear this growing season, the grower also shared a "lesson learned" last winter. 
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Amy Stone

That's gold, Jerry! GOLD!

I'm an unabashed fan of common goldenrod (a.k.a. Canada goldenrod). Its flowers are an important late-season food source for pollinators drawing in a wide range of insects and their yellowish to gold-tone makes a nice photo backdrop. In fact, this native perennial offers a pollinator photo op paradise.
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Joe Boggs

Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative - Annual Milkweed Pod Collection 

The Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative (OPHI) is encouraging all Ohioans who have grown common milkweed this season to harvest seed pods and take them to a participating Soil and Water Conservation Office. The Annual Milkweed Pollination Collection is in its third year in Ohio. In 2015, 7 counties piloted the milkweed seed pod collection. The project has grown and it is estimated that over 22 million seeds have been collected by volunteers across the buckeye state over the 3 years.  
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Authors
Amy Stone

The Impatient Gardener

Jewelweeds or touch-me-nots are common in eastern woodlands, as two species, the yellow Impatiens pallida and the orange Impatiens capensis. There are more jewelweeds than meet the eye, however. Read on.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield
Jason Veil

Blue-Winged Wasps Cruising Lawns

Blue-winged wasps are continuing to make low-level flights over lawns in southwest Ohio. As their common name implies, the wasps have dark blue wings. Their legs and thorax are also dark blue. However, their most distinguishing features are two light-yellow spots at the top of their orange-tipped abdomens.
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Joe Boggs

A Non-Native, Native Lizard

If you're ever visiting Cincinnati during the dog days of summer, keep your eyes peeled for a fascinating non-native lizard scurrying over rock walls, darting across sidewalks, and lurking in landscaping. These lizards are intriguing because the story of how they got to Cincinnati and their ascent to equal treatment amongst native reptiles is almost unprecedented for reptiles in Ohio.
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Joe Boggs

Redbud Leaffolder Damage

Participants at last week's Greater Cincinnati Diagnostic Walk-About were thrilled to view the unusual leaf symptoms caused by the Redbud Leaffolder on its namesake host. Or, maybe it was just me who was thrilled. Most of the leaf damage this season is produced by the current 3rd generation caterpillars.
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Joe Boggs

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Cooperative Eradication Program in Ohio Scores Another "Win"

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 in 9 plant families. This includes all native maples, a preferred host. Successful eradication is essential to avoiding a catastrophic loss of trees on a scale never before seen in the U.S.
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Joe Boggs

Monarch Migration

The annual migration of monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippusis) has begun. It has to be an amazing adventure if you are the butterfly, or spectacular site if you are a person able to observe the migration in progress.
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Amy Stone

Beech Blight Aphids Shake Their Booty

I believe no other insect upstages Beech Bligh Aphids in entertainment value. During a visit to a Lake County, OH, park last Thursday, Jim Chatfield and I came across a cluster of these engaging aphids shaking their woolly derrieres in what appeared to be a synchronous samba. All we needed was "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band blaring in the background to complete the effect.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield

Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) Update – Don't Rush to Cut Walnut Trees!

The long-term outlook for eastern black walnuts seemed dire when the Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) complex was confirmed in Butler County, OH, in 2013. Thankfully, TCD has not followed the devastating trajectory we originally feared. It is not rolling through our native black walnuts à la emerald ash borer on native ash. The two situations are like apples-to-oranges.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

No Asian Hornets in the U.S.

When you read or hear about "Asian hornets," you need to keep two things in mind. First, the "Asian" moniker has been commonly applied to at least three hornet species native to various Asian regions. The second thing to remember is that none of these hornets have been found living in the U.S.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Invasive Plant Species Alert - Japanese Stiltgrass

Japanese stiltgrass was not on my radar until a recent visit to a local park. It had piqued my interest because of the plants lushness beneath a full canopy of trees. My first thought was, what is this grass that could be a recommendation for shady sights? My excitement quickly waned because our hosts explained that the annual grass unfortunately, is an invasive species.
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Authors
Cindy Meyer

Eastern Filbert Blight on Hazelnut

Eastern filbert blight is a disease of filbert and hazelnut trees (Corylus spp.). It is caused by a native fungus. In a natural setting, filbert blight causes a relatively minor disease on native American hazelnut shrubs (Corylus americana) causing small cankers on the stems and branches. However, the disease is lethal to introduced and commercially important European hazelnut (Corylus avellana) in orchards.
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Authors
Amy Stone

Annual of the Week - Cotton

This interesting annual caught my attention earlier in the season, and it just kept getting better and better.  As the cotton plant grows, it can be quite the conversation piece. It can be planted in the ground or in containers. It prefers poor and dry soil conditions. The planting at Toledo Botanical Garden (TBG) is a mass planting in the Artist Village where the cotton will be harvested and utilized by local artists. The plants are approximately 4 feet tall.
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Amy Stone

Bagworms are Wrapping Up

Most of the Common Bagworms I looked at yesterday in southern Ohio and central Indiana had initiated their annual "tie-off" in preparation for pupation. Bags are tightly closed and tied with silk to a twig or other anchorage point. This means the damage caused by these caterpillars wrapped in silk bags festooned with host plant debris is drawing to a close.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

The Best Herbaceous Plants for My Garden Are...

Have you been thinking about renovating your flower garden?  Trying to decide which perennial and annual flowers would grow best in your garden?   Well, guess no longer!  Come spend a day with Pam Bennett, OSU Extension Horticulture Educator, and find out for yourself.  In Clark County, Pam and her volunteers specialize in herbaceous ornamental plant trials and evaluate more than 200 varieties of annuals and two genera of ornamental grasses yearly!

 

...
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Erik Draper

Slime Mold on Turfgrass

Slime molds can be found on all types of turfgrasses – from cultivars chosen for lawns to weedy grasses that pop up in places were regular maintenance just isn’t regular. Slime molds are usually more noticeable following extended periods of leaf wetness. With recent rains experienced in NW Ohio, people have been asking "what is going on in my lawn?"
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Authors
Amy Stone

Fall Webworm Update

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. The first generation began to appear in southern Ohio in late May (see, "Spring, Summer, Fall Webworms," June 13, 2018) and second generation caterpillars are now on the scene.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Sneaky Stink Bugs

I'm seeing damage on ripening tomatoes in southwest Ohio caused by Brown Marmorated Stink Bug nymphs. I first saw damage from both the adults and nymphs on my own tomatoes in 2015. At that time, we didn't know which direction BMSB populations would take in the southwest part of the state.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Morning Dew Brings Gossamer Creations to Light

This is the time of the year in Ohio when female spiders of many web spinning species reach maturity. They become most evident when their gossamer creations are illuminated by early morning sunlight reflecting off a heavy dew. I was lucky to experience this magical but fleeting light effect during an early morning hike around my neighborhood a few days ago.
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Joe Boggs

A Real Sweet Dilemma

I was asked to help a vegetable grower figure out what was going on with something wreaking havoc and eating his ripening sweet corn.  Typically, when someone mentions sweet corn and problems, the first demon that comes to mind are those little masked, sweet-toothed bandits, known as raccoons!   When I arrived out in the field, I was surprised to see the corn stalks standing tall in nice rows.  The masked marauders climb up the cornstalk to the get to the ripest, uppermost ear of corn; consequently, the corn stalks are most often snapped off or pushed over down to the...

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Authors
Erik Draper

A Blooming Bias

In the world of plants, most often our attention focuses on bloom color, size and timing of when blooms will make an impact in our landscape.  Blooms are nice as a moving focal point during the growing season, but people become a little upset when plants don’t do what they are supposed to and only when they are supposed to do it.  This is the time of year that concerned citizens call into the office wondering whether or not their magnolias or rhododendrons are going to die.  When asked why they think that the plants are going to die, the response is always the same, “...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Blister Beetles Wreaking Havoc on Tomatoes

I received two e-mails over the weekend from backyard gardeners in southwest Ohio with pictures showing Black Blister Beetles swarming over tomato plants. Black blister beetles as well as Margined Blister Beetles are the two most common species found in Ohio. Both beetles are capable of showing-up in large numbers to feed on the leaves and flowers of a wide range of perennials and annuals including vegetable plants.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Marestail (Horseweed)

Marestail, which is also known as "Canadian horseweed," or just "horseweed," has moved from field crops to become a plague in landscapes and nurseries. The main reason is that certain biotypes are resistant to glyphosate (e.g. Roundup) as well as a number of other agricultural herbicides. In fact, this native North America plant has become such a problem in Ohio it has been added to the state's noxious weeds list.
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Joe Boggs

Monstrous Porcelain-Berry Barrage

I posted a BYGL Alert last October on Porcelain-Berry when the problem berries were fully ripened and available for widespread distribution by birds and other animals. I'm revisiting this ever-expanding non-native vine because its invasive arc in southwest Ohio is being compared by some horticultural professionals as possibly rivaling kudzu.
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Joe Boggs

Embrace the Milkweed Menagerie

This is the time of the year when the menagerie of insects that feed on members of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), including common milkweed, seem to arrive en masse … to the consternation of monarch lovers! Some aim to reserve milkweeds for monarchs. What about other native insects that feed on milkweeds; let them eat cake?
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Joe Boggs

Basswood Leafminer Damage Becoming Evident

BYGL readers should be familiar with the Basswood Leafminer. We've reported on the skeletonizing and leafmining activities of this native beetle on its namesake host, American basswood for years. High populations cause entire basswood trees to become reddish-brown. Travelers on the northern portion of I-75 in Ohio will soon be treated to "flaming" basswoods gracing the woodlots along the route.
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Joe Boggs

Annual of the Week - Dahlia

Dahlias can be a nice annual addition into Ohio gardens. Although a perennial in its native range in Mexico and Central America, there are consider annuals in Ohio. With a little extra work the tubers can be lift in the fall, stored over the winter, and planted the following spring. 
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Amy Stone

Ohio Local Foods Week 2018

Can we all agree that there is something special about the taste of a locally grown tomato – unless of course you don’t like tomatoes. The same can be true of other fruits and vegetables grown in our own gardens or produced by a local farmer. Beyond the taste, there is something to be said about food being produced in the region rather than shipped across the state, country or even oceans. There is a renewed appeal in local.   
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Amy Stone

51st Annual NGLCO Summer Field Day for Nurseries, Designers, Landscape Contractors and Vendors to be held on Tuesday, August 14th.

Nursery Growers, Landscapers, Designers and Vendors are invited to a fun-filled, information-packed day at the 51st annual NGLCO Summer Field Day at Chalet Debonne' Vineyards, Madison Ohio on Tuesday August 14th, 2018.
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New OSU FactSheet on Growing Onions

Did you know that the common onion (Allium cepa) is the most popular vegetable in Ohio home gardens? Onions are known to be adaptable, which helps onions to be grown in various regions and zones. Sabrina Schirtzinger, Extension Educator in Knox County, recently authored OSU FactSheet, HYG-1616, Growing Onions in the Garden. 
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Amy Stone

New OSU FactSheet on Hydrangeas

There seems to be a growing interest in hydrangeas. Along with the new or renewed interest in this genus, there are some common questions about plant selection, pruning and care. Eric Barrett, Extension Educator in Mahoning County, recently authored an OSU FactSheet HYG 1263, Selecting Hydrangeas for the Home Landscape to help gardeners understand this group of plants in the genus Hydrangea. 
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Amy Stone

The Twisted Story of Rose Rosette Disease

I came across several multiflora roses while walking in a county park last Friday that were being hammered by Rose Rosette Disease (RRD). It was a reminder that this non-native invasive rose serves as a significant source of the rose rosette virus that is responsible for producing Rose Rosette Disease (RRD), as well as the eriophyid mite that is responsible for spreading the virus.
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Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield

Ohio Christmas Tree Association (OCTA) at the Ohio State Fair

Earlier this week, a team from OSU Extension judged Christmas trees at the 2018 Ohio State Fair. All the trees were grown in Ohio. Trees were judged on shape, fullness, color and overall appearance. Trees needed to be between 6 and 8 feet tall, have a handle between 6 and 12 inches, and have a correct range of taper based on the species.
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Amy Stone

The Clock is Ticking on White Pine Weevil Control

I received an e-mail message today from an arborist in southwest Ohio who included images that showed damage caused by White Pine Weevil. Main shoots (terminal leaders) on white pine and Norway spruce were wilted and brown. Some of the shoot tips were curved into "shepherd’s crooks;" the curling occurs when tender new shoots dehydrate while they are still pliable.
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Joe Boggs

Tale of Two Crabapples: Diagnostics Is Never Easy

Summertime: And Diagnosis is never easy.  Even with something as dear to my pathological brain as apple scab and cedar-apple (or hawthorn) rust on crabapple. I was on a walkabout at a northeast Ohio commercial landscape two weeks ago and came upon side-by-side crabapples – and the different symptoms of these two diseases on crabapple.

 

On one crabapple, apple scab infections caused some affected leaves to turn yellow before dropping; on the other crabapple the leaves turned orangish-red (the cover photo). As for rust, the lesions on the upper leaf surfaces of one crabapple...

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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

Gypsy Moth - The Next Generation

Adult gypsy moths are active in NW Ohio. The males are brown to tan in color, fly during the day in a zig zag pattern and have feather-like antenna. The females are white and do not fly. The male moths seek out the females, they mate and she lays an egg mass that can contain up to 500 eggs. It is those eggs that will produce the next generation.
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Amy Stone

Yellow Poplar Weevil Reared its Snout in Central Ohio

We held our OSU Extension Nursery, Landscape, and Turf Team (ENLTT) meeting yesterday at Dawes Arboretum. Among the beautiful landscapes and impressive collections was clear evidence that Yellow Poplar Weevils had made a return appearance in central Ohio. The adults feed on leaves and the larvae feed within leaves as leafminers.
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Joe Boggs

Pollinator Pretense

My BYGL Alert last week on magnolia scale honeydew attracting flies [see "Magnolias Drawing Flies," June 5] drew several e-mails about flies coming to flowers. I must admit that I never paid much attention to flies coming to flowers until relatively recently.
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Joe Boggs

Wheel Bugs are Rolling Along

Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) brought an oak sample to the OSU Master Gardener Volunteer Diagnostic Workshop Monday in Miami County that included wheel bug nymphs in various instar stages of development including some late instars. This means the unusual looking adults will soon be lurking among the leaves of trees and shrubs in Ohio in search of prey.
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Joe Boggs

Invasive Species Success

 

In recent years you have likely read more, learned more and maybe even seen more invasive species. Whether it is plants, diseases or insects, these pests should be on the radar - especially in the green industry. 

 

I was recently reading a local paper and the headline "Border authorities find invasive beetles in a bag of seeds" of course caught my attention. The invasive species encounter was success thanks to the work of US Customs and Border Protection.

 

Late last week, US Customs and Border Protection announced in a release that agriculture...

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Amy Stone

Sand Wasp Enemy of Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

I'm interested in observations about cicada killer wasps this season [see "No Killers in Sight as Dog-Day Cicadas Sing," July 6, 2018]. So, when Jeff Webeler (White Oak Gardens, Cincinnati) e-mailed this past Friday about a large numbers of wasps digging in sand backfill behind a retaining wall, I drove at more or less the speed limit to visit the site.
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Joe Boggs

Asiatic vs. Oriental Lilies... Same Plants or Different?

I marveled at the incredible display of blooms and colors on the patch of lilies that I could see as I looked out from the deck over the Drapescape.  Because of the intense colors, I just had to go get my camera and take some pictures.  As I started reflecting on the names of these plants, I realized that I had to label the pictures and two names started to flip back and forth in my mind; namely, Asiatic or Oriental or are these colloquial terms or are these actually one in the same for one plant or were the plants different?  What scary thoughts for a woody plant...

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Erik Draper

Fluffy Flatids

Clusters of fluffy, white flatid planthopper nymphs are appearing on the stems and leaves of low growing plants in southwest Ohio. The planthoppers are most commonly found in woodlands, but will occasionally creep up the stems of plants in landscapes as well as vegetable gardens.
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Joe Boggs

Magnolias Drawing Flies

I received an e-mail Tuesday from a homeowner asking why there are a large number of flies buzzing around their magnolia. I sent them a picture of Magnolia Scale and told them to look for this insect on the twigs and branches. They responded that they had seen the scale, but thought it was a normal part of the tree. Sneaky scales!
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Joe Boggs

Follow up on winter injury to roses

Back in the spring, I wrote a BYGL alert about winter injury to roses.  THANKS to everyone for their feedback and response as to what's being seen around the state.  It seems that the general consensus is that all types of roses experienced major dieback with damage clear down to around four to six inches above the graft.  Some lost a few roses completely but the majority of the roses have recovered nicely according to most.  Winter injury reports came from all around Ohio as well as from Detroit.

 

It still drives me crazy to drive around town and see the old dead wood...

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Pam Bennett

Night Raiders

It's often impossible to identify the insect culprit responsible for causing holes or jagged margins on tree leaves if the perpetrator has left the scene. Unless there is a clear association between the tree species and a pest, we rely on dubious "it could be" speculation to solve a bit-and-run.
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Joe Boggs

Sedum Erratum

I posted a BYGL Alert this past Tuesday about an unidentified flea beetle attacking sedum in Ohio [see "Sedum Conundrum and Passionate Plea," June 26]. I called the beetle the "Sedum Flea Beetle" in my report.
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Joe Boggs

Lovely American Lotus

American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) is one of my favorite native wildflowers. In my opinion, there is nothing else that rises from our waters to rival the allure of this aquatic beauty; except perhaps for walleye and largemouth bass.
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Joe Boggs

Head Clipper Attacks Cone Heads

Participants in today's OSU Extension, Hamilton County, Master Gardner Volunteers Diagnostic Walk-About at Glenwood Gardens were treated to the handiwork of the Sunflower Headclipping Weevil on purple coneflower. The damage included dangling seed heads and stems that looked like soda straws.
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Joe Boggs

Cedar-Quince Rust on Callery Pear

We reported on cedar-quince rust on hawthorns in a BYGL Alert! a couple of weeks ago [see "Rusty Hawthorns," June 14]. The disease is so common on hawthorns it's become an annual BYGL missive. However, we were surprised by recent observations of cedar-quince rust occurring on Callery pear.
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Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield

Ohio Arbovirus Surveillance Updates

Beginning this year, the Ohio Arbovirus (arthropod-borne virus) Surveillance Update can be found on the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) website at http://www.odh.ohio.gov/arboupdate.  The table will be updated each Monday through mosquito season.

Mosquito season is here.  The ODH Zoonotic Disease Program, in partnership with ODH Laboratory, local public health partners and sanitary district partners, collects and tests mosquitoes from many communities in Ohio as part of statewide mosquito-borne disease surveillance...

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Jennifer Andon

Sedum Conundrum and Passionate Plea

In early October, 2011, I received a phone call from a homeowner in eastern Cincinnati who said brightly colored beetles were destroying her Sedum x 'Autumn Joy' (family Crassulaceae). I visited and found that a flea beetle that I'd never seen before was doing so much damage it was hard to identify the plants.
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Joe Boggs

Some Gypsy Moth Caterpillars Have Met Their Match

 

While there has been an increase of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) sightings in northwest Ohio, specifically in Lucas and Fulton Counties, late last week some of the leaf eating caterpillars appeared to be dying. Upon closer inspection, it appears that entomophaga (Entomophaga maimaiga), or the gypsy moth fungus, is doing the trick.

 

Gypsy moth caterpillars killed by the fungus entomophaga typically die hanging vertically from the tree trunks with their prolegs stretched out laterally. Caterpillar appear to shrink in girth and become somewhat...

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Amy Stone

Pinecones on Willow? They're Baaack!

Willow Pinecone Galls are one of the most unusual galls found in Ohio; I post a BYGL Alert! about them every year. Maybe more than one to spread the gall-joy! The galls are created by the Willow Pinecone Gall Midge to house, nourish, and protect a single fly larva (maggot) located deep within the gall. The literature lists a number of willow hosts; however, I've only ever found them on black willow.
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Joe Boggs

Burgeoning Beetles

I'm seeing large numbers of Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) in southwest Ohio. Compared to previous seasons, the beetles appear to be more evenly distributed; they are not hard to find. I'm hearing similar reports from the central part of the state.
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Joe Boggs

Families- A Grouping or Gathering of Similar Plants

Have you ever thought “why in the world should I care about plant families?” Or why does it matter if a plant belongs to a certain family?  What if you were asked, “Can my Pyracantha (firethorn) shrubs get fireblight?”  or “What other plants could be possible target hosts for the Emerald Ash Borer”?  You will be able to understand the answers to these questions, IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF PLANT FAMILIES! 
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Erik Draper
Jim Chatfield

Twisted Tale of Dodder

Dodders are parasitic plants belonging to the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. They were formerly placed in the dodder family, Cuscutaceae, with only one genus in the family, Cuscuta. Depending on the reference, there are somewhere between 100 – 170 species worldwide with 13 species found in Ohio.
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Joe Boggs

More Lace Bugs

Lace bugs do well during hot weather and they are certainly doing very well. I'm finding population densities and levels of damage that are normally seen in July. I posted a report on hawthorn lace bugs this past Saturday; this report highlights a few others.
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Joe Boggs

A Most Beautiful Beetle

This is the time of the year when a close look at dogbane may reveal Dogbane Beetles; one of the most beautiful beetles found in Ohio. Indeed, the beetle's scientific name, Chrysochus auratus, loosely translates to "made of gold." This native beetle should be familiar to BYGL readers; it's one of my favorite insects and I post at least one report about it each year!
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Joe Boggs

National Pollinator Week Begins Today

The Pollinator Partnership is proud to announce that June 18-24, 2018 has been designated National Pollinator Week. This week long observation is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what can be done to protect them.

 

Eleven years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided...

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Amy Stone

Sneaky Bagworms

I'm not yet saying this is going to be a banner season for Common Bagworms. However, I'm commonly finding bagworms in southwest Ohio without much effort. I've not heard reports from elsewhere in the state
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Joe Boggs

Scarlet Oak Sawfly Damage is Underway

First generation scarlet oak sawfly larvae are beginning to skeletonize oak leaves in southwest Ohio. The larvae are currently in the 1st and 2nd instar stages and a little less than 1/8" long. Despite this sawfly's common name, larvae may be found feeding on a wide range of oaks including pin, black, red, and white oaks as well as its namesake oak.
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Joe Boggs

Diagnosis: Bird...Or

Is it a birds-nest or is it something else? Birds-nest fungi are fascinating organisms, complete with little nest-like spore casings that act as splash cups, and peridioles complete with funicular cords. Oh, what wonders.
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Jim Chatfield
Paul Snyder

Rusty Hawthorns

This is the time of the year when rust diseases make it easy to spot wild hawthorns growing along Ohio trails as well as in landscapes. They have orange spotted leaves and "orange-hairy haws." I may be exaggerating a bit, but these rust symptoms can certainly make woodland hikes interesting.
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Joe Boggs

ODA Announces Gypsy Moth Mating Disruption Treatment

 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) recently announced plans to begin aerial treatments designed to disrupt gypsy moth mating later this summer. Treatments will be applied to 32,526 acres in fifteen counties across the state. 
 

The gypsy moth is a non-native, invasive species that feeds on the leaves of more than 300 different trees and shrubs and is especially fond of oak as a caterpillar as shown below.

 

...

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Amy Stone

Perceived Willow Woes

I'm an unabashed fan of willows. Of course, no tree is perfect and willows have a few pests. Thankfully, the depth of their vital spark means willows are capable of handling the depredations of most pests. However, the pests I'm highlighting can make trees look bad.
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Joe Boggs

Ghosts in the Mist Thistle

Canada Thistle in southwest Ohio is starting to show the "ghostly" white symptoms of bacterial infections. The tops of infected plants look like they were dipped in bleach. The bacterium produces a chemical called tagetitoxin which is a RNA polymerase III inhibitor that blocks the production of chloroplasts.
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Joe Boggs

Really MOOOving Along in NE Ohio

Driving along in Northeast Ohio, I came around a bend in the road and saw some tall weeds with clusters of white flowers in the roadside ditch.  The flower heads had the classic shape of the Apiaceae or carrot family with the typical “compound umbels” on display.  Think of an upside down umbrella with all the flower clusters radiating upward from a single point end of the stalk to form a flattened flower head about 6-10” across.  So, I just had to stop and look at these plants knowing the concern that they will incite when people panic because they think they are seeing...

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Erik Draper

Mystery Nest? Don't call 911 just yet!

Last week, a local police officer was called out to a property for mysterious “bug” activity.  An unusual nest was reported on the property and the concerned homeowners did not know what it was or what to do with it.  Luckily, the officer knew to call their local Extension office and soon we were ON THE CASE!  (Here come the sleuthing puns!)

 


mystery nest...

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Authors
Ashley Kulhanek
Marne Titchenell

Four-lined Plant Bug Crushing Oregano (and other plants)

Perennial plants (and others) are showing damage caused by four-lined plant bug (Poecilocapus lineatus) with some plants exhibiting heavy damage.  For instance, my oregano is totally obliterated.  I usually say no worries to this pest as it is a one and done insect; it has one life cycle in the early part of spring.  The damage is caused early enough in the season that I don't usually worry about taking action with pesticides.  However, this year is anything but normal and I am altering my normal approach a bit.

...
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Pam Bennett

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

Julie Crook and I visited a magnolia in her landscape on Tuesday that is infested with Magnolia Scale. We had intended to evaluate a soft scale control method using dish scrubbers to physically remove the scales. I learned about this scale suppression technique from Dan Potter (University of Kentucky Entomology).
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Joe Boggs
Julie Crook

Seeing Red

I'm continuing to get reports of huge numbers of tiny, fast-moving bright red mites scurrying around on sunny surfaces such as on picnic tables, patios, sidewalks, concrete retaining walls, and on the outside walls of homes and buildings. These nuisance mites are sometimes called "concrete mites" owing to locations where they tend to congregate
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Joe Boggs

Calico Scale-Crawl

Calico scale eggs located beneath helmet-shaped females are hatching in southwest Ohio and the 1st instar nymphs (crawlers) are on the move. Unlike armored scales, all nymphal stages of this soft scale are mobile, so nymphs can be called "crawlers" throughout their development
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Joe Boggs

Bagworm Alert!

Overwintered Common Bagworm eggs are hatching in southwest Ohio. The tiny 1st instar bags are constructed with pieces of tan to reddish-brown sawdust-like frass (excrement) stuck to the outside of silk and look like "dunce caps."
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Joe Boggs

Asian Chestnut Gall Wasp

The Asian Chestnut Gall Wasp was introduced to North America in 1974 on imported chestnut cuttings. To date it has be identified in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio.
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Carri Jagger

Soil Temps Determine Planting Time

One of the most often asked vegetable questions during this early season is “How soon can I plant my tomatoes and peppers in the garden?”  There are two reasons that the northeast Ohio gardener’s rule of thumb is “wait for Memorial Day” before planting out the tender annuals like tomatoes, peppers and green beans.  The first reason is the possibility of a frost is almost eliminated by waiting until Memorial Day.  Those tender annual plants like squash, tomatoes, green beans and peppers, cannot tolerate a frost event or even lower temperatures at all!...

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Erik Draper

What's Your Number - Growing Degree Day Accumulations

 

This time of the year, some areas can be accumulating growing degree days (GDD) pretty rapidly, while in other areas it is a slower process. Joe Boggs reported to some ENLTers last week that the Cincinnati area broke a record and experienced a 90 degree day. It's truly a different story in Toledo. We have been on the receiving end of lots of rain and much cooler temperatures. There have been some days where our low and high temperatures added together didn't add up to 90. 

 

To illustrate the differences that are occurring in the buckeye state, I have looked at...

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Amy Stone

Invasive of the Week - Autumn Olive

 

I was walking today and came upon a sweet smell. Excitement built as the fragrance intensified only to be disappointed. The fragrance was a familiar spring scent that I only remembered when I saw the plant. Its white to light yellow flowers hung against its silvery green foliage - yes you guess it - autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata). This deciduous plant can be consider a small tree or shrub. The stem, buds and leaves are covered with scales that are silver in color. 

 

...

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Amy Stone

Wildflowers of Spring

Like other plants, wildflowers bided their time in Spring this year. In recent weeks, though, the display was wondrous. From bloodroot to trillium, to the luck of the bluets, woodland flowers are ever magical.
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Jim Chatfield

Unheavenly Ambrosia Beetles

I've received a number of reports recently from landscape managers and arborists of thin cylindrical strands of white sawdust appearing to ooze out of small holes in the trunks of recently planted trees. These delicate, odd looking structures are sometimes called "frass toothpicks" and are the calling card of Ambrosia Beetles. They also indicate trees are in serious, irreversible trouble.
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Joe Boggs

Name These Flowers

Have you ever experienced this - noticing something for the first time, yet realizing that you must have seen it for years without realizing it was there. That was the experience of a group of plant lovers earlier this spring. Oh, my, what we were missing. Beautiful red flowers, unfamiliar, on a familiar tree.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield
Erik Draper

Oystershell Scale Eggs Are Hatching!

The overwintered eggs of Oystershell Scale are hatching in Ohio with first instar nymphs (crawlers) afoot in the southwest and northwest parts of the state. This is a critical event because the mobile crawlers are susceptible to a number of control options that are not effective against other scale developmental stages.
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Joe Boggs
Beth Scheckelhoff

Words of Wisdom

There are many lessons of Nature to be learned from the words of others. Though Shakespeare intoned: "In Nature's infinite book of secrecy a little I can read", even that little may be most wondrous.
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Jim Chatfield

Woody of the Week - Ohio Buckeye

The Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is the state tree of Ohio. It is a native tree to the midwestern and plain states. The tree can reach 60 feet tall and 30 feet wide in an open area, but is about 1/2 that size when growing in an understory or shaded location. 

 

The Ohio buckeye prefers a moist but well drained site. It can adapt to drier sites, but will often exhibit some leaf scorch when conditions are too dry.  It is also susceptible to a leaf blotch and powdery mildew when conditions are right. 

 

The leaves are arranged opposite of each other...

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Amy Stone

Woody of the Week - Pawpaw

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is found throughout the buckeye state and most of the Eastern United States. It grows naturally as an understory tree or along woodland edges, and is often found in areas that are moist.

 

A single tree can sometimes become a "pawpaw-colony" through root sprouts from the parent plant. The mature height of this tree is 25 feet and the mature spread is 15 feet, when not crowded by other plants. The leaves are rather large giving the plant a tropical feel. 

 

While the plant is noted for its fruit, the flowers are beautiful but...

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Amy Stone

Ant Wars

I opened my garage door this morning to find a seething mass of Pavement Ants roiling around the expansion joint where the driveway meets the garage. This was not an "ant swarm" where large numbers of winged ants (alates) emerge to fly off and mate; it was a full-blown, no-holds-bared ant war
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Joe Boggs

Crabmania 2018

Crabapple bloom was at its best in Ohio this year. Prolonged in southern Ohio, but compressed but spectacular and late in central and northern Ohio. Check out a few highlights here.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Mosquito Alert

Residual pools of standing water left from above average rainfall throughout much of Ohio this spring certainly benefitted mosquitoes. Although our cooler than normal spring temperatures may have delayed the onset of "mosquito season" a bit, our current above average temperatures will put mosquito development into hyperdrive.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Roses Knocked Back by Winter Cold

Several types of roses in Central and Southern (confirmed by Joe Boggs) were knocked back pretty good by cold winter weather.  While trimming my shrub and carpet-type roses in early April I noticed quite a bit of dead wood.  I had to really trim them back to a height of about six inches.  They are looking great right now as the new growth is vigorous.  I completely lost one climbing rose and another one was killed back to the crown.  The new growth on this one is coming from the root stock.

...
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Authors
Pam Bennett

Butterweed / Cressleaf Groundsel: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

The dichotomous nature of Butterweed may test the tolerance of lovers of native wildflowers. On one hand, a sea of yellow flowers carpeting farm fields flanking Ohio's interstates in the spring provides welcome relief from highway monotony. On the other hand, upright 2 – 3' tall plants bolting seemingly out of nowhere in Ohio landscapes presents a weed management challenge.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

ODA Will Begin Treating for Gypsy Moth in Ohio

 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) will soon begin aerial treatments designed to manage gypsy moth populations in Ohio. One management option includes treating young caterpillars in the spring. Counties where these treatments will be applied to designated blocks include:

 

  • Franklin
  • Fulton
  • Hocking
  • Lucas
  • Marion
  • Morrow
  • Perry
  • Ross
  • Sandusky
  • Seneca
  • Vinton
  • Wyandot

 

The treatments aimed at the larval stage will begin early to mid-...

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Amy Stone

Look Up Before Parking Under Honeylocust Trees … and Elms, Hawthorns, Sweetgum, Zelkova …

We have a shopping center and hospital not far from my home in southwest Ohio that have parking lot tree planters with honeylocusts, lacebark elms, and a number of other types of trees. The trees provide shade, so they are car magnets. Unfortunately, a considerable number of the trees are heavily infested with Calico Scale.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Boxwoods Go Snap, Crackle, and Pop!

I've already posted a BYGL Alert on Boxwood Leafminer this season that described its life-cycle, detection, and management. However, I only briefly described one of the most notable side effects associated with this non-native midge fly: odd rustling or popping sounds radiating from heavily infested boxwoods.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Wilting Buckeyes

The handiwork of the Buckeye Petiole Borer is now becoming evident on its namesake host in southern Ohio. Individual caterpillars of this tiny native moth bore into leaf petioles to disrupt vascular flow causing leaves to droop, wilt, and turn dark green to black. Damaged leaves will eventually detach producing mild defoliation. Symptoms may superficially resemble frost or freeze damage.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Horned Oak Galls "Pop"

The physical emergence of the "horns" that give horned oak galls their common name is such a short-lived event I've only witnessed it one other time in 26 years. I've commonly observed fully extended horns, but seeing them in the process of breaking through the gall surface is a rare treat and it's happening right now in southwest Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Mining Bees on the Wing

There are many species of bees that create individual (solitary) burrows in the soil. Several hymenopteran families are represented including Andrenidae (Mining Bees), Apidae (Tribe Anthophorini (Digger Bees)), and Colletidae which are called cellophane bees owing to the waterproof plastic-like material they use to line their soil burrows. They all have one thing in common: they are important pollinators.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Tigers on the Prowl

I spotted one of my favorite insect predators darting about on forest trails yesterday: Six-Spotted Tiger Beetles. Their common name is well justified as these tiny "tigers" hunt, kill, and eat other insects. They are equipped with huge eyes for excellent eyesight, long legs for agile speed, and huge mandibles for grabbing prey.
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Joe Boggs

Browned Boxwoods

Boxwoods with light brown to golden brown leaves are common this spring in Greater Cincinnati. Some of the leaf browning is due to winter injury; some was caused by salt damage. However, a close examination may also reveal the telltale blister-like leaf symptoms caused by the boxwood leafminer.
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Joe Boggs

Watch Your ASH!

Now that the Emerald Ash Borer has infested Lake County, Ohio, many Green Ash trees in the landscape and forest woodlots have died. But the real danger is right overhead. With dead trees and wind combined, it can be a costly and deadly combination. A tree that shows severe infestation will die within the year. The danger is these trees soon become a fall hazard and need to be removed before injury or property damage occurs.
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Thomas deHaas

They're Baaack!

Last Friday, Larry Parker (Cincinnati Parks) sent to me the images below of Boxelder Bugs (Boisea trivittata, order Hemiptera) hanging out on a park's building. 'Tis the season.
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Joe Boggs

Managing Crabgrass in Turf

With these rains the lawn is beginning to grow and the weeds are not far behind.  Some of the earliest emerging broadleaf weeds have begun to emerge.  The biggest problem with weeds in turfgrass is reduced aesthetic value, although some weeds can out compete turfgrass when management is reduced.  Smooth and large crabgrass, yellow foxtail, and annual bluegrass are the most frequent annual grass weeds in turfgrass.
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Jeff Stachler

Cold Weather Offers an Extension on Poison Hemlock Management

Our slowly developing spring is a real boon to us procrastinators. If you exercise caution by performing a close inspection of what lies beneath, there may still be time to make a non-selective herbicide application to control Poison Hemlock without wiping out preferred plants that have not yet sprung for spring.
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Joe Boggs

Eastern Tent Cats Hatch

Astronomical spring is marked by the vernal equinox. I mark "entomological spring" when overwintered Eastern Tent Caterpillar (ETC) moth eggs hatch. That's why I always collect a few egg masses in late winter and hold them outside (in the shade) so I can monitor for this supernal event. It began happening today at around 12:00 p.m.
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Joe Boggs

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Eradication Program in Ohio Scores a "Win"

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 in 9 plant families. This includes all native maples, a preferred host. Successful eradication is essential to avoiding a catastrophic loss of trees on a scale never before seen in the U.S.
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Joe Boggs

Burrowing Crayfish Rise

The rise of "mud chimneys" produced by Burrowing Crayfish has long been one of my favorite harbingers of spring. I've recently observed several of these mud edifices peaking just above turfgrass in southwest Ohio. While none had yet reached catastrophic lawn mower blade-bending size; spring is definitely in the air.
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Joe Boggs

Act Now to Manage White Pine Weevil

White Pine Weevil is one of our sneakiest conifer pests found in Ohio. Females spend the winter out of sight cooling their six heels in the duff beneath their pine or spruce targets. As temperatures warm in the spring, they climb their hosts to feed and lay eggs in the terminals. Sap oozing from small holes in the terminals is a calling card of this weevil.
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Joe Boggs

Invasive Plants Regulated in Ohio

Here is a look back to look forward as it relates to invasive plants in Ohio and new rules effective January 7, 2018 -

 

In September of 2014, the Ohio General Assembly granted the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) the exclusive authority to regulate invasive plants species. Under the law invasive plants are defined as plant species that are not native to Ohio whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human health as determined by scientific studies.

 

...
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Amy Stone

Invasive Species Awareness Week - ORIENTAL BITTERSWEET - Invasive Species of the Day

Sometimes referred to as the "kudzu of the north", oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a non-native species that continues to grow and spread in Ohio. The vine is popping up in our woods, fence rows, landscapes and places in between.

 

It is important to know that we do have American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens). It has more elliptical shaped leaves, rather than the rounded of the Oriental bittersweet. American bittersweet can also be distinguished from Oriental bittersweet by its leaves when they are just beginning to emerge from...

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Amy Stone

National Invasive Species Awareness Week - GYPSY MOTH - Invasive Species of the Day

We are going way back in time for this invasive species during the 2018 National Invasive Species Awareness Week. 

 

In the 1860's a French artist and amateur entomologist, Leopold Trouvelot, brought the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) to North America for what he thought was a good reason. He hoped to use the gypsy moth as the foundation for a silk industry in the United States. The "silk threads" of the gypsy moth did not prove to be a reliable source, and unfortunately the insect escaped Trouvelot’s Boston home-laboratory. 

 

The gyspy moth was ...

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Amy Stone

National Invasive Species Awareness Week - Japanese Knotweed - Invasive Species of the Day

I have noticed Japanese Knotweed (I've seen it listed as: Polygonum cuspidatum or Fallopia japonica or Reynoutria japonica) around the county the last few summers, so I chose it as Tuesday's  INVASIVE of the DAY for National Invasive Plant Awareness Week.

Japanese knotweed is a non-native erect, semi-woody perennial that can grow up to and likely beyond 10 feet tall and create dense stands when unchecked.  It was introduced, as so many invasives were, as an ornamental in the late 1800's and soon escaped the garden-scape and found its way into disturbed...

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Ashley Kulhanek

Wonderful Witchhazels Welcome Warmer Weather

Witchhazels….the forgotten wonder! The flowers are so small and dainty; you could miss them. However, the fragrance is heavenly. Which is why designers, landscapers and homeowner should put them close to an entryway or high traffic area. Since witchhazels flower anytime between mid-February through March, they can easily be missed.
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Thomas deHaas

Silver Maples Blooming Away

The Silver Maples, Acer saccharinum, in my neck of the woods are blooming.  February or not... feels like "spring" to me!

 

silver maple in bloom

 

 

Silver Maple trees are among the first to bloom in Ohio clocking in at 34 growing degree days (GDD) for first bloom and 42 GDD for full bloom.  I caught these photos at 51 GDD.  You can check your own location by visiting the OSU Phenology...

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Ashley Kulhanek

As Temperatures Warm, Don't Forget Growing Degree Days

 

A recorded breaking warm-up last week is just a distant memory, although continued flooding in certain areas of Ohio is a reminder that precipitation fell as rain and not as snow. While temperatures felt a little bit more winter-like over the weekend, another warm up is on its way. Even though we are still in February, it is not too earlier to begin following the Growing Degree Day Calendar online at https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/gdd/

 

 

...
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Amy Stone

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in Lake and Geauga County, Ohio

Hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae, is an invasive insect in eastern North America. It feeds on Canadian Hemlock, Tsuga Canadensis. The insect was discovered last summer feeding on a mature stand of Hemlocks on Little Mountain on a property located on the grounds of Holden Arboretum. Although it is uncertain how the adelgid got there, it is thought that it arrived on birds migrating north. Because of the discovery, both counties have been quarantined. Canadian Hemlocks grown in nurseries located in Lake and/or Geauga County, Ohio will have special requirements and restrictions on movement...
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Thomas deHaas

Spotted Lanternfly Found in Virginia

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) was recently detected in Frederick County, Virginia on January 10, 2018. It has been reported that egg masses and a dead adult were found.

 

The spotted lanternfly, an invasive planthopper, was first discovered in the United States in Pennsylvania in the fall of 2014. It is native to China, India, Vietnam, and introduced to Korea where it has become a major pest. This insect has the potential to greatly impact the grape, hops and logging industries. In November of 2017 a single female was found in New Castle County...

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Amy Stone

ODA Announces 2018 Gypsy Moth Treatment Project Open Houses

While all is quite in the gypsy moth's world, much preparation is occurring in Ohio to manage future gypsy moth populations this year as part of the two programs ODA administers:  Slow-The-Spread and Suppression.  Recently ODA released the schedule for their 2018 Gypsy Moth Treatment Open Houses and the 2018 Treatment Maps. Treatment blocks have been identified and are planned in19 Ohio Counties. Treatments will occur after caterpillars hatch this spring and when weather conditions are favorable.  Treatments are made to protect trees from damage from the leaf feeding caterpillars like seen...

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Amy Stone

USDA Updates Emerald Ash Borer Map, January 2018

While emerald ash borer (EAB) may be considered "old-news" in the buckeye state, many may want to keep a watchful eye on its progression beyond Ohio. Each month, USDA APHIS produces an updated EAB Detection Map. Occasionally, we like to post these updated maps on BYGL for those that are interested in monitoring the spread of the pest in North America. 

 

The most recent additions to the map include:

  • initial county detections in: St. Clair and Talladega Counties, Alabama; Queens County, New York; and Eau...
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Amy Stone

ODA Announces New Finds of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in Ohio in Athens, Geauga and Lake Counties

Earlier today, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) the Ohio Department of Natural Resources(ODNR) announced the discovery of a hemlock-killing pest in Lake, Geauga and Athens counties. The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a small, aphid-like insect native to Asia, which threatens the health and sustainability of two hemlock tree species native to the eastern United States.

 

HWA was first reported in the eastern United States in 1951 near Richmond, Virginia. Today, it is established in portions of 20 states from...

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Amy Stone

Emerald Ash Borer University - 2018

Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) recently released the dates and topics of its upcoming "virtual semester." Five FREE webinars are scheduled in February and March. Each session will last approximately one hour. A certificate of participation can be emailed to those participating on the live webinars. All sessions will be recorded and linked to the National EAB Website at www.emeraldashborer.info following the session using YouTube.

 

EABU is a free webinar series supported through the US Forest Service and coordinated by...

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Amy Stone

Honeylocusts and Mastodons

This is a great time of the year to slow down, sit down, and contemplate answers to big questions. Like, what do honeylocusts and pronghorns have in common? Why do Osage orange trees, Kentucky coffeetrees, and avocado trees have such large seed packages? In all cases, what we see now was shaped by animals that no longer exist; they are extinct.
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Joe Boggs

USDA Posts New Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Newsletter

Earlier today (12/29/2017), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) posted an eNewsletter designed to keep everyone up-to-date with Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) eradication efforts in the US. While some BYGL readers might receive the eNewsletter directly from USDA, we wanted to make sure as many people are in the "ALB-know" as possible. 

 

Presently, there are active eradication programs operating in three states including New York, Massachusetts and Ohio.

 

While information on eradication efforts in each state is valuable to follow and stay up-...

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Amy Stone

That May Not Be Snow on Those Alders!

BYGL reports become sparse at this time of the year with cold temperatures suppressing our subject matter. So, I was surprised last Thursday when I got an e-mail from John Martini, University of Cincinnati's Landscape Architect, with an image taken by UC Planner Joe Willging showing collections of white fluffy material on the branches of an alder (Alnus sp.).
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Joe Boggs

Scouting for Scale at Snowy Solstice

Scouting for scale in the Winter is great use of your time. 

Scale comes in many shapes, sizes and varieties. Last year we saw Oyster Shell, Calico, Juniper, Greedy, Bamboo, Fletcher, Japanese maple, Pine Needle, Brown, Putnam, Euonymus and Magnolia Scale.

Scale is sometimes hard to see when a plant is in full foliage. But in the winter with no leaves on trees and shrubs, except evergreen, scale are easier to see.

Scouting scale in the winter makes sense because there is less to care for outside in the landscape. The following pictures are Scale images on the...

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Thomas deHaas

Ohio Turfgrass Foundation (OTF) Conference and Tradeshow and OSU Green Industry Short Course

Looking to earn your recertification credits before the end of the year?  The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Tradeshow and the Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course is a great educational opportunity. 

 

The conference is December 5 - 7, 2017 in Columbus at the Convention Center.  There will be plenty of opportunities to attend educational classes, earn a variety of credits and time to network.  Check out the show website including the educational sessions, tradeshow schedule, and registration information.  Pre-registration deadline is Tuesday,...

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Amy Stone

It's a Girl! (YUCK!)

This tree has been around a little while in the Snyder Park Gardens and Arboretum.  In fact, it's one of my favorite trees.  It's such a popular tree in this garden that we even decided to move the location of a sidewalk while developing our master landscape design in order to preserve this tree.  However, now that it has revealed its identity, I am not sure what we will do.

 

Yes, this particular tree is a ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) and it's a girl.  We had no idea.  For at least the last three years while we have been hanging out at this site, creating a landscape...

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Pam Bennett

Disease, Demystified

What are control strategies for managing oak wilt disease? What do we know about beech leaf disease? Does rose rosette virus affect ‘Knockout’ roses? Which crabapples have good genetic resistance to apple scab disease and how does this compare to 20 years ago? Does apple scab on the fruit matter (as seen on the lead slide for this bygl-alert)?

 

...
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Jim Chatfield
Erik Draper

The Beauty of Bottlebrush Buckeye

My, oh my, buckeyes, oh my, the weekend beckons, but for now, let us praise Aesculus parviflora. “No better plant could be recommended as a lawn shrub”, according to W.J. Bean, as quoted in Michael Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Bottlebrush buckeye, is my favorite shrub” from an unnamed source in Holden Arboretum’s Plant Profiles, probably Brian Parsons.

 

 

  I concur. Palmately compound leaves with 5-7 leaflets, lovely in spring, summer and fall. Multi-stemmed...

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Jim Chatfield

Fall Leaf Drop Reveals Calico Scale

Calico Scale spends the summer as crawlers attached to the main veins on the underside of leaves. Detection can be a challenge with crawlers distributed on foliage throughout the canopy. However, as fall approaches, the crawlers move onto stems where they spend the winter. Clusters of crawlers coupled with blackened stems are key diagnostic features for detecting a calico scale infestation.
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Joe Boggs

Terrapin Scale on Sycamore

I posted a BYGL Alert last week extoling the virtues of one of my favorite native trees, American Sycamore [see, Ode to the Buttonwood Tree, October 18, 2017]. I came across a soft scale that I had never seen before on sycamore while taking pictures to illustrate the Alert. I would have included my find in the Alert, but it took me a while to settle on an identification.
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Joe Boggs

They're Heeeere!

Boxelder Bugs were included along with several other notorious nuisance insects in my BYGL Alert titled, Fall Home Invaders are Poised to Enter (Sept. 30, 2017). They may have been poised then, but the bugs are now visiting homes en masse in southern Ohio. Indeed, I visited a home on Wednesday that was literally buggy with the bugs.
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Joe Boggs

ArborEATum: October 24

  ArborEatum is just around the corner: next Tuesday, October 24. What fun it is: a friendly no-fee gathering of people who love to grow, culinaritize, eat, and drink various foods from landscapes and gardens. Come one come all to the Miller Pavilion at Ohio State University’s Secrest Arboretum, Tuesday, October 24, from 5:00 pm on. Eating and walking. Bring your offerings or just your appetites.

 

...
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Jim Chatfield

Horticultural Horrors I

  Friday the 13th has just passed and in some sort of dyslexic dystopia, the 31st is just around the corner and Halloween will soon arrive. So it seems only right to write of that which is wrong - or shall we say – wicked, as in Wicked Plants. There is an excellent book by just that title, Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocitiesby Amy Stewart. I recommend it, but for now, let us take a little trip into the world of some plants wicked this way come, through the house of horticultural horrors, guided by myself...

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Jim Chatfield

Ode to the Buttonwood Tree

I often ask students in Master Gardener classes "what is a buttonwood tree?" to illustrate the challenge with common names of plants. Unlike scientific names, there is no recognized governing body that standardizes common names of plants. Consequently, plant names may vary widely (wildly?) owing to differences in the cultural backgrounds of people living in different geographical regions, among other things.
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Joe Boggs

Delayed Woolly Bear Crawl-About?

Bristly "woolly bear" caterpillars commence their annual crawl-abouts in search of sheltered winter quarters in the fall; it's usually sometime in September in Ohio. They may be found on sidewalks, walking trails, roadways, or on the walls of homes and buildings. However, insects are sometimes made most noticeable by their absence.
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Joe Boggs

Magnolia Scale Update

I first reported on Magnolia Scale (Neolecanium cornuparvum) this season in June when the maturing females were "puffing-up" and pumping out honeydew (see BYGL Alert, "Magnolia Scale is Pumping-Out Honeydew," June 16, 2017). My lengthy BYGL post included a description of the life-cycle for this "soft scale" as well as information on management options.
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Joe Boggs

Don't Pick That Scab!

As a committed crabarian, I cringe along with everyone when driving into a town or walking along a street and seeing the barren, defoliated canopies of certain crabapples this summer and now into the fall. Out darn scab! (double apologies to W.S.).

 

Apple scabSymptoms of apple scab on...
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Jim Chatfield

Osage Can You See

Osage-Orange has long been one of my favorite trees. What's not to like? Grows anywhere, has glossy, dark green foliage and deeply fissured orangish-tan bark with great winter interest. Just don’t stand or park your car under female trees at this time of the year.
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Joe Boggs

This is How You Do It!

Need 100 one and a half gallon ornamental grasses planted?  Just put out an "all hands on deck" call to OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers and they get the job done in  less than an hour!   This is exactly what we did in Clark County in order to complete our border planting in the Snyder Park Gardens and Arboretum (SPGA).  The border consists of more than 4000 daffodil bulbs, a river of daylillies and now Schizachyrium scoparium 'MinnblueA' or Blue Heaven little bluestem.  The idea is that after the spectacular daffodil bloom in the early spring, the bluestem will come up and help to...

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Pam Bennett

European Hornets Cause Concern

At some point each season, I have come to expect receiving at least one phone call or e-mail message from a concerned Ohioan reporting they’ve found Giant Asian Hornets in our state. Although there have been no confirmed sightings of these hornets in North America, I never reject such reports out-of-hand.
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Joe Boggs

Aphid Outbreak

I got a phone call from a homeowner in southwest Ohio who said they had an aphid problem on willows. They described the situation as huge numbers of aphids dropping from large willows onto their home, driveway, and barn; sticky "sap" raining down on everything; and all manner of things acquiring a blackened patina.
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Joe Boggs

Seasonal Needle Drop in Full Swing

I received a phone call yesterday from an Ohio landowner asking what was "killing" his Eastern white pine trees. Coincidentally, I was driving past a row of white pines with several trees looking pretty ragged owing to their normal shedding of inner needles at this time of the year. Although normal, it can sometimes be dramatically synchronous with all of the inner needles turning reddish-brown at once.
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Joe Boggs

Angel Trumpets Sound

During a recent visit to Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield, I was treated to Angel Trumpets in bloom. These summer-fall bloomers make for spectacular late season WOW! For Ohio growers, these are tropical and frost tender. They would need to be brought in each winter as Kingwood Center does, however a big pot and some TLC might be worth it for these show-stoppers.

 

Angel’s Trumpets, Brugmansia spp., are woody shrubs or small trees with large pendulous flowers. These huge trumpet-shaped flowers in total can be a foot long and come in white, yellow, orange, red or...

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Ashley Kulhanek

Revisiting Some Scaly Old Friends

I spotted some "old friends" yesterday scurrying over the rock walls, on the sidewalks, and in the landscaping at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati. If you're a herpetologist, you would call my "friends" European wall lizards. However, if you're a native Cincinnatian, you would likely identify these non-native lizards as "Lazarus lizards."
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Joe Boggs

Rachised Over The Coals

  Yesterday, I did a profile (https://bygl.osu.edu/node/924) of the lovely shining or winged sumac (Rhus copallinum) that include the following statement: “The wings on the stems are cool. BYGL-alert readers were true to their calling. Alarum Alarum, Alert Alert. Within minutes, John Swintosky of Louisville and Fred Robinson of northeast Ohionproperly and politely responded with corrections.

 

  John Swintosky e-mailed: The "winged stem" noted is better called winged rachis,...

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Jim Chatfield

Shining Sumac: A Shrub For Any Week

  Earlier this week, I visited Charles Tubesing, Plant Collections Curator of Holden Arboretum along with Joe Cochran, Director of Secrest Arboretum. Much more on that later, but for now I simply must push out a Shrub of Any Week shout-out for a native sumac: shining or winged sumac, Rhus copallinum (this specific epithet, instead of copallina seems to be preferred).

 

...
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Jim Chatfield

Perennial Plant of the Week - Leopard Plant

Do you have a shade garden? Are you looking for a fall blooming yellow flower with large leaves? Leopard plant (Ligularia dentata 'Othello') might be just the plant to consider. This herbaceous perennial is best grown in a humusy soil that is rich in organic matter. It preference is a medium to wet site that is in part shade to full shade. It is imperative that the site never fully dries out. Because of the need for moisture, this plant will benefit from a regular, deep watering during the summer, especially when temperature are high and Mother-Nature hasn't...

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Amy Stone

Along Came a Spider

Ohioans may be surprised by the large number of spiders living near at hand when heavy morning dews accentuate their gossamer creations. Their conspicuous web-work can be striking when highlighted by early morning sunlight along roadways.
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Joe Boggs

Woody Plant of the Week - Seven-Sons Flower

A recent walk through the Toledo Botanical Garden in Toledo, Ohio was simply enjoyable. Hints of fall colors and noticeable fruits were scattered throughout and were enjoyed by all. It was on the final leg of the walk, when the group turned the corner and white flowers immediately caught our attention. The blooms of the seven-sons flower (Heptacodium miconioides) were in their glory. It was the flowers that drew us in, but it was the pollinator activity that kept us watching. The insect activity was amazing.

...
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Amy Stone

Emerald Ash Borer University - Fall 2017

Interested in an emerald ash borer (EAB) update this fall? The fall-semester schedule of online EAB University classes have been scheduled. Classes can be viewed during an interactive live-session (see schedule times below), or viewed afterwards as a recorded session on the EABU YouTube Channel. In addition to EAB, there will be a session on Thousand Cankers Disease too! 

 

...
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Amy Stone

Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative - Annual Milkweed Pod Collection

Due to the drastic decline in monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) populations, the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative (OPHI) and local Soil & Water Conservation Districts are again seeking public involvement to collect common (Asclepias syriaca) and swamp (Asclepias incarnata) milkweed seed pods from established plants September 1 through October 30, 2017. This is the second year they will be collecting seed pods.

 

The seeds will be used to establish new plantings and additional habitat for the monarch butterfly throughout the buckeye state...

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Amy Stone

Pawpaws and Amphbians: Out My Back Door

  I stepped out my back door on a balmy late summer Sunday, my, oh, my, what oh what did I see? No “giant doing cartwheels”, no “statue wearin' high heels”, no “tambourines and elephants playin’ in the band”, but yes a few “happy creatures dancing on the lawn”. “Doo, doo, doo”, what to see, “lookin’ out my back door?”

 

  1). Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) – see above image. Only last week I purchased and planted a new pawpaw seedling from Secrest Arboretum. I needed to since, even though our pawpaw tree bloomed for the past several years, and especially well this year,...

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Jim Chatfield

White Masses on Stems of Wafer-Ash, Redbud, and Other Trees

Participants in the S.W. Ohio BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About held this past Monday in the Boone County Arboretum (Union, KY) observed wafer-ash stems festooned with small, sticky, snowy-white masses. The masses could easily be mistaken for a soft scale, mealybug, or perhaps an insect egg mass. In fact, they are the "egg plugs" of the Two-Marked Treehopper (order Hemiptera; family Membracidae).
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Joe Boggs

Bullet Galls and Bullet-Like Stingers

Participants in last Friday's 84th Ohio Plant Diagnostic Workshop held in the OSU OARDC Secrest Arboretum braved experiencing bullet-like stings to view numerous bald-faced hornets buzzing Oak Bullet Galls. The galls were also drawing the attention of a few yellowjackets and other stinging insects as well as some flies and ants. Of course, the question on everyone's mind was why were these insects being drawn to the galls?
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Joe Boggs

Chestnut Sawfly Found on Hickory

Participants at last week's First Annual Tree and Plant Diagnostic Walkabout Workshop held in Lake Hope State Park in Vinton County, OH, came across a group of striking black-and-yellow striped sawfly larvae feeding on hickory. I had never see this sawfly before and after exhausting all of my usual routes for identifying tree pests, I followed the advice commonly given to me by seeking professional help.
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Joe Boggs

Bent Science Salon: Weird Things in the Woods

  Come one, come all. The Bent Science Salon officially opens in two weeks, on Thursday, September 21 at 7:00pm. First up: Weird Things in the Woods, channeled through a Weird Thing himself, yours truly, Jim Chatfield. This is only the first of these salons, continuing on the third Thursday of every month: next will be Dan Herms on Plant Phenology (Not Phrenology) and Climate Change, on October 19.

 

...
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Jim Chatfield

Stinging Caterpillar Commentary

I learned a valuable lesson during last week's First Annual Tree and Plant Diagnostic Walkabout Workshop held in the beautiful Lake Hope State Park in Vinton County, OH. If you want to find caterpillars, you should hike with Tom Macy, Forest Health Program Administer, with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. Tom's cater-optic prowess is truly remarkable.
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Joe Boggs

More Beech Diagnostics

American beech (Fagus grandifolia) is one of our most elegant woodland and parkland trees; it puts the sylvan in silviculture. There are many problems afoot, however, both large and small.

 

  For this alert, though, let us set aside the death and life realities of killer beech bark disease and the Boggsian itty-bitty bite/peench story of the beech blight (boogie-woogie) aphids (http://bygl.osu.edu/node/883). Let us look at...

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Jim Chatfield

Redbud Leaffolder Trekking Through Generations

Last season, the unusual leaf symptoms caused by the Redbud Leaffolder on its namesake host were observed throughout Ohio. Questions regarding leaves turning brown after being folded over or "glued" together continued to come into Extension offices throughout September. This could be a repeat season based on what I've seen so far.
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Joe Boggs

O Dodder, Where Art Thou?

  Well, on a recent odyssey to Pennsylvania, dodder was along a streamside bank, in small amounts amongst a lot of knot. Dodder as in Cuscata, a parasitic plant in the Convolvulaceae (morning glory family). Knot as in Japanese knotweed, or Fallopia japonica, touted as one of the most pervasive invasive weeds in the eastern United States.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Coneflower Cleanup

Coneflowers have long been one my favorites in landscapes and naturalized areas because of their attractiveness to pollinators of all sorts. Of course, this is the time of the season when we may walk away from them as they start looking pretty rough. However, we should continue to focus our attention on detecting and managing two serious problems that will only get worse next season
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Joe Boggs

Unusual Plant-Eating Cockroach

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.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Bagworms in the Bag

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.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Anltions are the Pits

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.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Wheel Bugs are Rolling Along

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.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Botany in a Box

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...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Garden Spider Orb Weavers

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
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Leaf-Footed Bugs

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.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Lake County Field Day

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...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Fall Webworm Update and More Red-Heads Found

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.
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Joe Boggs

Trumbull Trail Test For You

  Yesterday, I visited Lee Beers, the OSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resource educator in Trumbull County, and as plant lovers (Lee is finishing his PhD on lowbush blueberry physiology and genetics), we had to take a walk. Adjacent to the OSU, Trumbull County office is county land and the Mosquito Lake State Park. So, in this 48-hour flash quiz, a prize awaits for the person with the most correct answers in that time to the plant and pest photo questions from our walk. If ties; the very first top score shall prevail.  

 

  Let us begin with pictures of fruits,...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

WIldflower of the Week

Last weekend, at a lovely wedding weekend for my wife’s cousin’s daughter and beau in the Leelanau peninsula area of west-central Michigan, some of us took a pre-wedding walk to Pyramid Point near Lake Michigan. The views up the short trail to the summit were spectacular. Descending to the trailhead, off to the side of the trail in a meadow area was a – very cool herbaceous flower.

 

...
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Authors
Jim Chatfield

2018 Gypsy Moth Suppression Applications Due September 1, 2017

If you are seeing gypsy moth egg masses and are interested in learning if the area could qualify to be part of the ODA Gypsy Moth Suppression Program, here are some details.

Treatment criteria:

  • Proposed block must be located in a county that has been designated quarantine for gypsy moth by ODA. See map below.  Counties in red are in the quarantine.

...
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Authors
Amy Stone

Peony Measles

Cultivate your own garden, said Voltaire at the end of Candide.  Looking homeward, I note that peony measles, first seen in mid-July has continued to develop.  Measles, or red spot or leaf blotch or Cladosporium leaf blotch disease are alternative names for this fungal disease. It is caused by, you guessed it, Cladosporium paeoniae or, who knew, with its new moniker, Dicholocladosporium chlorocephalum. 

 

  On the upper leaf surface, reddish and brownish “measles”-like spots develop earlier in summer, now coalescing into purple blotches...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Tree of The Week: Hackberries Excel in Amherst

I admit that in the old days I thought of hackberry (Celtis) mostly as a common mid-sized native woodland tree, adaptable to variable soil types, but not so much as a landscape plant. Counter to this, Davis Sydnor always extolled hackberries, especially Celtis laevigata (sugarberry), but also common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). I am now becoming educated, Davis.  

 

...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Mosquito Alert

I was amazed last week at the cloud of mosquitoes buzzing in my wake as I hiked in a wooded park in southwest Ohio. Studies have shown that the relative attractiveness of individuals to mosquitoes varies and I've never been very attractive to mosquitoes. However, the enormous swarm following me through the woods could have been organizing an airlift operation!
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Weed of the Week: Dayflowers Not So Common

In the ChatScape there is a lovely little flower, the Asiatic dayflower, Commelina communis, which has taken advantage of our travels this summer, invading any number of garden sites. It is well-known to move into “disturbed” sites, which may say something of this laissez-faire gardener, if not my wife. This herbaceous wanderer has quite a storied profile, from its two sky-blue petals subtended by one small white petal to the use of its blue pigments in Japanese dyes for woodcuts.

 

  Dayflower is studied for possible bioremediation for removing toxic levels of...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Going on an Egg Hunt - Gypsy Moth Style!

The gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is a non-native invasive species. This insect is currently in the egg mass stage, and will be in this stage until next spring when the caterpillars will hatch and begin feeding. Egg masses can help predict what population levels could be for the upcoming season. Now is the time to look for egg masses. Egg masses can be found almost anywhere. While we tend to look on trees, they can be found on homes, sheds, trailers, dog houses, bird houses, on firewood, on fences, yard art and signs. Egg masses can also be hidden under loose bark or in tree...

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Amy Stone

Robber Flies: Insect Fighter Jets!

One of my favorite insects is the Red-Footed Cannibalfly which is a type of robber fly (family Asilidae). Few carnivorous insects can match the amazing acrobatics and predatory proficiency of robber flies in their pursuit of prey. Adults of all species are predators and they will attack a variety of insects; even "armed" prey and insects much larger than their own body size.
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Joe Boggs

Monarchs vs. Tussocks

I've received two e-mail message this week asking for a recommendation to control native Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars feeding on their namesake host. The senders were well-meaning Monarch Butterfly enthusiasts who were concerned the tussocks were eating the monarchs out of house and home.
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Joe Boggs

Did You Give or Receive on Tuesday?

Did you know that Tuesday, August 8th was "Sneak A Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Front Porch Day"? Did you sneak, or did you get snuck upon? Didn't participate this year?  Be sure it is on the calendar for 2018! 

 

While this is a fun thing to do, it is important to remember if you have excess fruits and vegetables this time of the year, it is a great opportunity to share your bountiful harvest with others.  A simple sharing can occur neighbor-to-neighbor, among friends and family members, or excess produce can be donated food banks, kitchens or pantries.  Different...

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Authors
Amy Stone

White Grub Management

This has been one of the most prolific seasons for Japanese beetles in Ohio for many years. High localized populations were observed throughout the state. Adult populations of both Northern and Southern Masked Chafers, two of our other common "white grub producing" beetles, were also very high this season, particularly in the central and southern parts of Ohio.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Dave Shetlar

Time to Tidy Up the Perennial Garden

Most of the perennials in my garden have bloomed a little earlier than normal.  Here it is almost the second week in August and I am seeing the late August perennials such as Sedum and goldenrod start to bloom.  It's also time for me to do a little cleaning up in the gardens, especially with those plants that have finished blooming such as Echinacea (coneflowers), Nepeta (catmint) and others.
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Authors
Pam Bennett

Linden ID

It’s Sunday night, I check my e-mail, and Frank Sinibaldi asks: “Mr. Chatfield, can you tell me what tree this comes from?”  I check out the attached image, and there it is: a linden bract with attached peduncle, pedicels and fruits.

 

  So, linden (Tilia spp.) is the tree. Common lindens are the American linden or basswood (Tilia americana), littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata) native to Europe and into Asia, and the hybrid Crimean linden Tilia x euchlora).  Lindens are much bee-beloved.

 

...
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Jim Chatfield

A Plant Walk in Wooster

The great thing for all of us as plant lovers is the simplicity of enjoyment of a walk in the woods or through city streets, checking out the plants we know. Here are some snapshots of just a few plant sightings on an afternoon walk in Wooster, Ohio a few days ago.

 

  First, as our lead photo, at the edge of a parking lot was Calycanthus, which a Clemson fact sheet notes has common names of Carolina allspice, strawberry-bush, sweet bubby {my favorite}, sweet Betsy, and spicebush {my least favorite since we think of Lindera benzoin as spicebush up North...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Crepe Myrtles For Ohio

While in Maryland and Virginia recently our Extension Nursery Landscape and Turf Team of diagnosticians admired crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) in whites, reds, and lavenders.  Absolutely gorgeous trees for their flower displays and their attractive bark.
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Jim Chatfield

Quiz Results: Name That Pine

What a great response to our Name That Pine query posed last Friday. There were dozens of responses, some on Friday and Saturday, and then again a number today, Monday July 31. At first, this bimodal response rate puzzled me until I realized that some of you do not get bygl-alerts, our just-in-time alerts to your phone via e-mails, vs. the Monday summary of the previous weeks alerts. 

 

 How can you possibly not want to be alerted by phone the very moment that we ask for your pine ID skills and other matters!!! Well, it is imaginable, but if you do want to get those alerts...

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Jim Chatfield

Ohio Local Foods Week

What does local foods mean to you? While there is not one definition for “local” food - it is very personal and can vary from person to person. Some people are able to grow their own food. Others grow some food, and also support local producers by purchasing food from them.  And still others only purchase local foods from local producers. 
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Amy Stone

Name That Pine

True pines, as opposed to say, Norfolk Island-pine (Araucaria heterophylla) or Japanese umbrella-pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) are in the genus Pinus, which differs from other genera in the Pinaceae family. Other genera in the family include, for example, spruces (Picea), firs (Abies), and hemlocks (Tsuga).
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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Step Away From the Mimosa!

As we continue traveling south to Washington DC, we were moseying along some backroads in Virginia and suddenly the camera crew began yelling “stop the van… pull over”.  We piled out to run over trying to position ourselves to take photos of a HUGE Albizia julibrissin, commonly known as Mimosa or Persian Silk tree.

 

...
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Authors
Erik Draper
Jim Chatfield

Another Leafminer of Black Locust

On July 22, 2017, Joe Boggs wrote a BYGL Alert on the "flaming" of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) by the locust leafminer beetle (Odontota dorsalis) in certain areas of Ohio.  These "flamed" trees are easily observed along highways from southeast to northeast Ohio. Interestingly, Curtis Young and Amy Stone in Northwest Ohio seldom see any evidence of locust leafminer beetle.  They have to travel east to at least Mansfield, Ohio before seeing the activities of this leafminer and it isn't because of a lack of black locust trees. 

...
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Curtis E. Young

Sassafras: Simply Fruitful

In a previous Tree of the Week, I featured sassafras, but noted that I did not have an image of their very cool-looking fruits, though I once did have said image. I figured that I had electronically misplaced or that it was from all the way back in the Kodachrome Slide Era (somewhere between the Dirt Age and the Middle-Age Anthropocene).  So…

 

Voila. I have seen bright carmine red fruits, and here you can see both the early speckled green phase and cool grape-Kool Aid purple. Sassafras, a lovely native tree.

 

...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

NW Ohio Green Industry Summer Session

It is not too late to attend the 2017 Green Industry Summer Session at Owens Community College in NW Ohio.  The annual event is held the first Wednesday of August.  This year the event is held August 2nd.  Registration begins at 11:00 am with a boxed lunch, with the first session starting at 11:45 am.  The event concludes at 4:15 pm with opportunities to earn ISA, ODA and OCVN credits. 
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Authors
Amy Stone

The Other Guignardia...

Joe Boggs wrote a great article “Guignardia Leaf Blotch Running Rampant” the other day, which caused me to reflect on another Guignardia fungus often ignored, but very important.  The other Guignardia, Guignardia bidwellii, is one responsible for causing the disease Black Rot of Grape.
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Authors
Erik Draper
Curtis E. Young

Upcoming Programs, Oh My

Here are a few upcoming programs to get on your calendars. Registration information to come on websites soon.  All are at Secrest Arboretum at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, except for the Bent Science salons at the Bent Ladder Cider and Winery outside Doylestown, Ohio, and the Why Trees Matter program, at the College of Wooster.  
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Jim Chatfield

Harlequin Bug on Cleome

The harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica) (a.k.a. calico bug, fire bug or harlequin cabbage bug) is a black stink bug with either yellow-orange or red markings on both its back and stomach. Additionally, there are some white markings around the edge of its abdomen.  As with all true stink bugs, it belongs to the family Pentatomidae.

 

...
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Authors
Curtis E. Young

Annual of the Week - Sunflower 'Birds & Bees'

 

 

Sunflower Helianthus annuus ‘Birds & Bees’

 

While at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, there was a sunflower in their vegetable garden that caught my attention. ‘Birds & Bees’ is a 6 – 8’ tall sunflower that has golden-yellow petals and chocolate discs.

 

While flowering, sunflowers offer a pollen and nectar source for foraging honey bees, native bees and many other garden pollinators. At maturity, these black seeded sunflowers of ‘Birds & Bees’ provide oil-rich kernels. The shells...

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Authors
Amy Stone

Perennial of the Week: There is More to a Plant Than Just the Name - Joe Pye Weed

When a plant has “weed” as part of its name, it could cause a little bit of confusion. As a gardener, would you feel as you could really brag and be proud of a plant in the landscape that is called a weed? Well of course the answer is yes, especially if it is Joe pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum).  Brag away!  

 

While Joe pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) can be observed growing along roadsides, some have never taken in to consideration its outstanding ornamental characteristics. It is a large plant which needs space, but when planted in mass it can provide...

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Authors
Amy Stone

Guignardia Leaf Blotch Running Rampant

Our continual wet weather over much of Ohio this season has been a two-edged sword. On one hand, we haven't had to drag hoses to water our landscapes. On the other hand, a number of fungal plant pathogens that require wet conditions to infect and produce their associated diseases are running rampant. Such is obviously the case for Guignardia aesculi; the fungus responsible for Guignardia Leaf Blotch of Aesculus.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Plants of the Beehive State

This past week I was in the Beehive State, Utah, first speaking at a conference and then for a bit of vacation. My wife and I visited both the red rock and desert areas in southern Utah and then in the north, the more verdant areas of the Uinta and Wasatch mountain ranges. Utah, which became the 45th state in 1896, was named the Beehive State for the hard-working, industrious inhabitants.
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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Annual Flaming of Black Locust Trees

Jim Chatfield called me from the road this morning to report seeing "flamed" black locusts along a highway in northeast Ohio. The captivating reddish-brown leaf coloration caused by the native Locust Leafminer Beetle is often a familiar sight to travelers motoring on Ohio's interstate highways. Indeed, when beetle populations are high during "outbreak years," black locust trees are able to be identified at highway speeds because of their blow-torched appearance.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield

Monarchs vs. Aphids

What are those hordes of yellow aphids sucking juices from common milkweed "reserved" for monarch butterfly caterpillars? They are Oleander Aphids and their appearance on milkweeds reminds us that nature makes no food reservations. This non-native aphid may be found sucking juices from over 50 hosts belonging to 16 plant families.
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Joe Boggs

Pine Cones on Willow?

The improbable looking but appropriately named Willow Pinecone Galls are now large enough to be very noticeable on their namesake host. As the common name suggests, the galls closely resemble pine cones with closed seed scales. They are produced on willow by a gall-midge but cause little damage to the overall health of their namesake host.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Two Cats on the Prowl

Two general defoliators are producing damage in southwest Ohio: yellownecked caterpillars and walnut caterpillars. Both of these caterpillars feed in groups, or "colonies," of 10-30 individuals throughout their development which is why their defoliation is often focused on a single branch or a group of adjoining branches. However, it's also why multiple colonies can quickly defoliate small trees.
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Joe Boggs

Dogbane Discoveries

Dogbane is the representative species for the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, which includes milkweeds and other plants that ooze milky sap ladened with poisonous alkaloids. Indeed, Apocynum translates to "poisonous to dogs," or "dog killer." Sap from the plant is reported to have been used against ravenous feral dogs.
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Joe Boggs

Gallignostics

  Let us call this A Case of Gallignostics. Plant galls are defined as abnormal plant growths caused by a gall-maker; the gall-maker being certain insects, mites, fungi, and bacteria. From horned oak gall to bacterial crown gall, from maple bladder galls to cedar-apple rust galls, there are many galls of interest to horticulturists. Relative to all this, Joe Boggs recently got an e-mail from Michael Goldman of the Grange Insurance Audubon Center:

 

  I'm a big fan of the BYGL, and found something here that might be interesting for it.  The pictures I took look like some...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

A Stinging Commentary on Wasps, Yellowjackets, and Baldfaced Hornets.

Paper Wasps, Yellowjackets, and Baldfaced Hornets are beneficial insects. Just keep repeating that to yourself when you're being chased or stung by these hymenopteran marauders! They’ve been with us since the beginning of the season. However, this is the time of the year when their ever-expanding nests become large enough and contain enough individuals to make their presence sometimes painfully known.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Diagnostic Workshop: What's Wrong With My Tree?

Workshop Name:  Tree Diagnostic Workshop - What’s Wrong With My Tree?

 

Workshop Date:  Friday, August 4, 2017

 

Event Location:  Ohio State University Mansfield, 100 Ovalwood Hall, 1760 University Drive, Mansfield, Ohio

 

This Ohio Woodland Stewards Program spends the day with Extension specialists to diagnose some common and not so common tree problems. Learn what trees need immediate attention from what is just cosmetic and won’t compromise the health of the tree. 

 

Ask questions and get answers and find...

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Authors
Amy Stone
Kathy Smith

Creeping Flecks of Gold and Animated Piles of Frass

Look closely at the leaves of ornamental sweet potatoes, morning glories, or bindweed for flecks of gold creeping across the lower leaf surfaces; those would be Golden Tortoise Beetles (Charidotella sexpunctata). They are also called “sweet potato beetles” because of their common occurrence on both cultivated and ornamental sweet potatoes and “goldbugs” because of their appearance.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Trefoil Foiling Lawns, Landscapes, and Naturalized Areas

The bright yellow floral display currently blanketing some lawns and roadway right-of-ways is being produced by Birdsfoot Trefoil. The yellow flowers are smaller than dandelion flowers, bigger than those of black medic, and resemble buttercups from a distance. This non-native plant was imported with good intentions, but is now gaining weed status in lawns, landscapes, and naturalized areas in Ohio. Yet another example of unintended consequences with introducing non-natives.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Killers Welcome Cicada Emergence

Annual Dog-Day Cicadas emerging in southwest Ohio are being “welcomed” by their nemesis, Cicada Killer Wasps. This is the largest wasp found in Ohio and the annual cicadas are their select prey. An abrupt halt in the buzzing of a cicada, often punctuated by a high-pitched screech, usually means a wasp has committed an insecticidal act
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Joe Boggs

A Tale of Two Bagworms

Tale of Two Bagworms

  As the BoggMan writeth, early bagworm damage is oft overlooked, with skeletonization injury passed off as Japanese beetle injury or other chewing insect damage. This was driven home to me last week as I checked out some elm street trees in Orrville.

 

...
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Jim Chatfield

Coneflower Calamities

Participants at yesterday’s S.W. Ohio Diagnostic Walk-About viewed two problems on purple coneflowers; one potentially more calamitous than the other. The first was the handiwork of the Sunflower Head-Clipping Weevil (Haplorhynchites aeneus) which included dangling seed heads and stems that looked like soda straws. The second were stunted plants and deformed plant parts caused by the phytoplasma disease known as Aster Yellows.
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Joe Boggs

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Quarantine Expansion

Quarantines are a primary tool in preventing the spread of Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) (Anoplophora glabripennis) in Ohio and elsewhere in North America. They stop the beetle from hitchhiking to new locations in infested materials such as logs, firewood, pruned branches, etc. Yesterday, the ODA, ODNR, and USDA APHIS announced an expansion of the ALB quarantine in Clermont County, OH.
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Joe Boggs

Japanese Beetles Abound

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.
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Joe Boggs

Perennial of the Week - Liatris

 

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...

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Authors
Amy Stone

Summertime...And Flowers Are Boooming

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.

 

 

  Next, is...

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Jim Chatfield

Squirrels Debarking Trees: Part 2

Thanks to Tim Turner who is truly an alert BYGL Alert! reader, I can provide some new information on the “Calcium Hypothesis.” In my BYGL Alert! posted this morning, I cited a scientific paper published in 2016 that proposed squirrels are stripping bark to acquire calcium from the phloem tissue. The authors of the paper tagged this explanation for bark-stripping as the “Calcium Hypothesis.”
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Joe Boggs

Oak Leaf Blister Disease

  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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Jim Chatfield

Squirrels Debarking Trees

Over the weekend, I received an e-mail message from a landowner in southwest Ohio asking what could be stripping bark from the branches of a large thornless honeylocust on their property. Their pictures showed that long slivers of bark were being removed from branches that were clearly much too high to be within reach of other possible bark strippers such as deer.
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Joe Boggs

Observations: Socrates, Poison Hemlock, Fennel Aphids, and Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles

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?
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Sycamore Anthracnose Symptoms Fade

  This morning I got a message from Frank Leon, horticulturist with Barnes Nursery, complete with the above image showing the thinning of sycamore (American planetree; Platanus occidentalis), a common sight seen in northwest Ohio this Spring. The problem is sycamore anthracnose, caused by the fungus Apiognomonia veneta.

 

 

  This particular anthracnose fungus occurs on planetrees, including our native sycamore, but less so on Platanus orientalis and the hybrid between these two planetrees, Londone planetree (PlatanusX acerifolia...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Slug Sawfly on American Bladdernut

In 2015, I reported that I had found sawfly larvae skeletonizing American bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia) leaves in southwest Ohio (see BYGL Bug Bytes, September 3, 2015, “Scarlet Oak Sawfly on Bladdernut?”). The title of that report was based on the appearance of the larvae: they were the spitting image of Scarlet Oak Sawfly (Caliroa quercuscoccineae) which is sometimes called the scarlet oak slug sawfly or just oak slug sawfly.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Elongate Hemlock Scale Alert

I revisited a Cilician fir (Abies cilicica) earlier this week in southwest Ohio that I found to be heavily infested with Elongate Hemlock Scale (EHS) (Fiorinia externa) in 2010. I’ve been monitoring this tree since that time and have watched the scale population rise and fall then rise again; the tree has never been treated.
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Joe Boggs

Why Trees Matter Forum; October 18

Trees matter in many ways; just ask the Ents. Their beauty and grace is wondrous, they are proven healers for hospital patients, their social importance as historical references is well-known, from Johnny Appleseed to the Signal Tree in Summit County, and their environmental services, well…

 

  Check out treebenefits.com and itreetools.org for itemization of the economic benefits of the environmental services of trees: Storm water remediation, energy savings, air quality improvement, carbon effects, property values.

 

  With that in mind, in past years we...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

The Return of an “Old Southern Friend”

Julie Crook and I spent a lovely afternoon yesterday “cruising” the Cincinnati Botanical Garden and zoo with Steve Foltz (Director of Horticulture) looking at their impressive plant displays and working with Steve on with some diagnostics. During our walk-about, Steve pointed out an “old friend” scurrying beneath a goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata; Soapberry Family, Sapindaceae): a Goldenrain Tree Bug (Jadera haematoloma).
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Joe Boggs

Yellow Polka Dotted... Tomatoes??

I was called out to visit a high tunnel vegetable grower, who was concerned about what he was seeing on tomato leaves, which he hadn’t seen before on the plants.  He told me that spots had suddenly began to appear on his tomato plants, and that he really didn’t want to lose the plants or the huge crop of tomatoes that the plants had set.

 

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Erik Draper

Basswood Leaf Miner Damage Can Be Alarming

What begins as minor feeding injury on the leaves of basswood (Tilia spp.), can quickly become an attention grabber, especially if you are unfamiliar with the insect and the injury caused. The leaves appear to be torched and stand out among other trees in the area. The damage is obvious even as you are traveling on highways - at the recommended speeds of course

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Amy Stone
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Backyard Flashers

I saw my first lighting beetles (Family Lampyridae) flashing in my backyard in southwest Ohio a little over a week ago. There were just a few; nothing to get too excited about. However, numbers have risen over the past few days to provide an impressive nighttime flashing display and I've gotten a few reports that the same is occurring in the central part of the state.
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Joe Boggs

Japanese Beetles and Masked Chafers on the Wing

Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) are on the wing in southern and central Ohio with some localized heavy populations. Adding to the potential grub-party, I've been capturing a few Southern Masked Chafers (Cyclocephala lurida) around my porch lights at night in the southwest part of the state. Northern Masked Chafers (C. borealis) appear to be lagging behind.
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Joe Boggs

Bladdergalls

I came across an old friend in a southwest Ohio county park over the weekend: the wart like, irregularly shaped galls, known as "bladdergalls," adorning the upper leaf surfaces of a red maple. The galls are produced under the gene-manipulating direction of the Maple Bladdergall Mite, Vasates quadripedes (family Eriophyidae). The mite also produces bladdergalls on silver maple.
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Joe Boggs

Look Closely for Lace Bugs

The characteristic leaf damage produced by Lace Bugs (order Hemiptera; family Tingidae) is becoming evident in southwest Ohio. Lace bugs are tiny insects with the adults measuring no more than 3/16" long. They are so-named because of the lace-like pattern of veins and membranes in their wings. The nymphs are even tinier and appear to be covered in small spikes.
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Joe Boggs

My Favorite Things - Plants - How About This One!

I love plants and proudly claim the titles of plant nerd, tree-hugger, plant geek and any others like this.  Plants of all kind - perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, vegetables, native plants, etc. intrigue and delight.  How can you not like them!  One of my garden plants that looks particularly good right now is Calamagrostis  x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' or Karl Foerster feather reed grass.  This grass is stellar and it's no wonder it's used quite a bit in both commercial landscapes and home gardens.  'Karl Foerster' was named the Perennial Plant of the Year by the...

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Pam Bennett

Rosaceous Rusts Rampage

Rust on serviceberry? Yes. Has the whole world gone mad? No. It just reveals itself to each of us in manageable gulps.  We talk frequently of three “cedar rusts” on BYGL: cedar apple rust, cedar hawthorn rust, cedar quince rust, all caused by separate species in the fungal genus Gymnosporangium (bygl.osu.edu/node/781).  In fact, it is not as simple as this – there are over 40 species of the Gymnosporangium fungus. 

 

  Not only that, but there are over 480 species in 11 genera of the rose family (Rosaceae) that are affected by Gymnosporangium ...

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Jim Chatfield

1st Generation Scarlet Oak Sawfly Larvae

First generation scarlet oak sawfly (Caliroa quercuscoccineae) larvae are munching oak leaves in southwest Ohio. The larvae are currently in the 1st and 2nd instar stages and a little less than 1/8" long. Despite this sawfly's common name, larvae may be found feeding on a wide range of oaks including pin, black, red, and white oaks as well as its namesake oak.
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Joe Boggs

Maple Anthracnose

Jeff Stachler, OSU Extensioneer in Auglaize County sent the following message this past Tuesday on June 6:

  “A maple tree in the front of a home yard has leaves with the symptoms you see in the photos.  Veins and leaf tips are black with yellow and brown colors below the black.  Is there anything that can be done or should be done?” He also sent the tell-tale photo above, showing “water-soaked” darkish lesions along leaf veins.

 

Right on time. Last June 5, I took a picture of a neighbor’s red maple in Doyletown in northeast Ohio of the same problem: maple...

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Jim Chatfield

Dripping Dogwoods

I recently came across dogwoods growing along a trail in southwest Ohio that were festooned with the frothy, spittle-like masses produced by the Dogwood Spittlebug (Clastoptera proteus); a reminder that there are at least 23 different species of spittlebugs (family Aphrophoridae) in North America.
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Joe Boggs

Rusty Hawthorns

It’s easy to spot wild hawthorns growing along Ohio trails at this time of the year if they sport gaudy orange-spotted leaves. The spots are the telltale leaf symptoms of Cedar-Hawthorn Rust and the leaf infections can cause hawthorns to stand out among other understory trees and shrubs.
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Joe Boggs

Where Do Four-Lined Plant Bugs Come From?

I’ve come to expect seeing some damage each spring from our native Four-Lined Plant Bug (Poecilocapsus lineatus, family Hemiptera). However, their wreckage appears to be particularly heavy this season in some parts of Ohio. The question “where did they come from” is common when hordes of hungry insect pests descend seemingly out of nowhere onto plants to cause extensive damage.
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Joe Boggs

Tangled Up In Blues

Sometimes you just have to stop what you are doing and appreciate plant life. Kenny Cochran of Secrest Arboretum fame always loved plants in combination, especially after he came back from a trip to Poland with an appreciation of clematis twining up trees, wild-like.  Today Paul Snyder of Secrest sent me a picture of blue spruce needles piercing leaves of Tim Brotzman’s great redbud:  Cercis canadensis Lavender Twist® ‘Covey’ and the two plants entwined. How cool is this? 

 

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Jim Chatfield

Don't Touch This Weed!

Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) plants are rising towards their full height and blooms are beginning to appear in southern Ohio. Landscape managers and gardeners should exercise extreme caution around this non-native invasive plant. Severe blistering can occur if chemicals (furanocoumarins (= furocoumarins)) in the plant juices come in contact with skin and the skin is then exposed to sunlight; specifically ultraviolet light. The effect is called phytophotodermatitis.
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Joe Boggs

Kousa Dogwood: Tree of the Week

Before posting this bygl-alert, I had planned on reviewing the many cultivars of Chinese or Kousa dogwood that have entered the market in recent years, including Cornus kousa crosses with Cornus florida (our native flowering dogwood).  I will do this soon, but cannot wait. This is such a year for the kousa dogwood in my side yard that I must share pictures of it from this season right now.

 

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Jim Chatfield

Roadside Rest: Living in the Moment

One of the things I ask my Sustainable Landscape Maintenance students at the end of the semester is to expound upon 10 Things They Learned in class. Most of these are the core of the course: including plant selection and knowledge, plant pest, plant maintenance, invasive species examples. Pete Grantham of Akron though, added:

 

  I learn from you so much about living in the moment, talked to me about your hitchhiking [the old days] and how you think it’s fun to run out of gas. These moments that others would consider worrisome are...

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Jim Chatfield

American Elm Pests and Host Preference Studies

I came across a 'Princeton' American elm (Ulmus americana) planted in a county park in southwest Ohio sporting three pests: Woolly Elm Aphid, (Eriosoma americanum); Elm Cockscomb Gall Aphid (Colopha ulmicola); and European Elm Flea Weevil (EEFW) (Orchestes alni). EEFW is a non-native, but the woolly and cockscomb gall aphids are native insects that appear in pest records dating back to when American elms were "America's Street Tree."
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Joe Boggs

Calico Scale Crawl

Calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) eggs located beneath helmet-shaped females are hatching in southwest Ohio and the 1st instar nymphs (crawlers) are on the move. All nymphal stages are mobile, so all nymphs can be called "crawlers." The tiny, tannish-brown, oblong-shaped 1st instar crawlers are around 1/16" in length. They migrate to the undersides of leaves and position themselves along leaf veins where they insert their piercing-sucking mouthparts into phloem vessels to extract amino acids dissolved in the sugary plant sap.
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Joe Boggs

Gypsy Moth Traps Pop-Up

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is currently deploying traps to continue its monitoring efforts for gypsy moth across Ohio in cooperation with the US Forest Service. The green traps are being placed throughout Ohio at different densities, depending on location and the known gypsy moth activity. 
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Amy Stone

Springtime Fall Webworms

Fall Webworms (Hyphantria cunea) have at least two generations in Ohio and overwintered eggs that produce the first generation are now hatching in the southwest part of the state. I took these images yesterday of a first generation nest on dogwood with 1st instar "black-headed" caterpillars constructing their characteristic silk nest and feeding upon the leaves enveloped within.
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Joe Boggs

Bagworm Eggs are Hatching

Overwintered Common Bagworm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) eggs are hatching in southwest Ohio. The 1st instar caterpillars are very small with their bags measuring around 1/8" in length. They're constructed with pieces of tan to reddish-brown, sawdust-like frass (excrement) stuck to the outside of silk. The tiny 1st instar bags look like little dunce caps.
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Joe Boggs

An Ode to Catalpas … Their Hornworms and a Tiny Wasp.

Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa, family Bignoniaceae) trees are in full-bloom in southern Ohio. Last year, I posted a BYGL Alert! extolling the virtues of catalpa trees; both northern and its southern cousin (C. bignonioides). Of course, I recognized a few minor shortcomings, but no tree is perfect. I noted that whether viewed as a beautiful, resilient native tree that will compliment any urban landscaping, or a coarse, messy, tree best confined to forested bottomlands, no one can ignore the beautiful bell-shaped blooms!
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Joe Boggs
Hail to Trails chatfield.1@osu.edu Fri, 05/26/2017 - 12:11

This is a byglbook-alert, premature since I have only read the first chapter of the featured book, but I have started down its path of poesy and prose and hope you will too. The book is On Trails by Robert Moor (not “Moop”, for George Costanza fans).

 

  Robert Moor set out to hike the Appalachian Trail, Georgia to Maine, in 2009.  He speaks of this and then from there starts to muse deeply on the idea of trails, of paths, in his words “a meditation upon trails.”

 

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Jim Chatfield

Tree of the Week: Bladdernut

Now we turn to a second plant identification discussion from arborist Carrie Paulus: this one of a native small tree or large shrub.  The above photograph is credited to Carrie.  She saw this small tree with husband Bill at Lake Hope State Park on Mother’s Day.  It is bladdernut, Staphylea trifolia.  It is not rare in Ohio woodlands, but often it is not noticed.

 

  Bladdernut eludes the usual mnemonics for native woodland trees with opposite leaf arrangement such as MAD BUCK (maple, ash, dogwood, buckeye) or BAMEV DOGWOOD (same along with tree-sized euonymus and...

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Jim Chatfield

Fire Walk With Carrie

Is this a cross between the weird David Lynch genre and early Stephen King horror?  No. I was meeting with an arborist extraordinaire earlier today and when we exhausted our arboricultural topics she showed me a picture of what she purported to be, scarlet campion.

 

  I thought not – and for once was right – it was fire pink, Silene virginica.  She encountered this great woodland wildflower with her husband Bill at Lake Hope State Park in southeast Ohio on Mother’s Day. It is unusual to see such brilliant red color in the spring and summer woods.

 

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Jim Chatfield

Mulberry Whitefly "Pupae" Can Present an ID Challenge

Participants in Monday's Southwest Ohio BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About held at Stanley Rowe Arboretum observed final instar nymphs, called "pupae," of the Mulberry Whitefly (Tetraleurodes mori) on the undersides of holly leaves. The round, shiny black pupae are ringed in a white fringe and are commonly mistaken for a scale insect. Indeed, whiteflies are not "flies" (order Diptera); they belong to the same order (Hemiptera) as scale insects and share certain traits with both armored and soft scale insects.
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Joe Boggs

Enkianthus: Shrub of the Week

Several years back I bought this shade-loving shrub at one of the Secrest Arboretum sales.  This is the first year it has flowered.  I can’t find the tag naming the plant.  Can you ID it for me? - Thanks, Skip

 

  This was the e-mail impetus for this bygl-alert, coming from Dr. Skip Nault, Professor Emeritus, entomologist, and former Director of the Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster. The pictures in this alert are from Skip. 

 

  The answer to Skip’s question is that it is a...

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Jim Chatfield

Hawthorn Leafminers Have Completed Their Development in S.W. Ohio

On April 11, I reported that the adults of three leafmining sawflies were mating and laying eggs on their host trees in southwest Ohio (see BYGL Alert! Sawfly Leafminers Fly). Today, I noticed some heavy leafmining damage by one of the sawflies, the Hawthorn Leafminer (Profenusa canadensis), on its namesake host in a hospital parking lot in the southwest part of the state.
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Joe Boggs

UPDATE: Early-Emerging Periodical Cicadas

In my May 1, 2017, BYGL Alert! posting (Please Report Early-Bird Periodical Cicadas), I noted that Gene Kritsky (Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati) was predicting that we will see an "early emergence" of some members of Brood X of the 17-year periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) this spring even though this brood is not expected to emerge full force until 2021. In fact, as you can see by the photos I took in Springdale (Hamilton County), OH, the emergence is now well underway.
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Joe Boggs

Return of the Buckeye Leafmining Fly

We have written a number of BYGL reports over the past several years on the springtime occurrence of leafmining damage on wild Ohio buckeyes caused by an unidentified leafmining fly in Ohio. During this week's BYGL online diagnostic inservice yesterday, Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) reported that he is seeing a return of the damage in northwest Ohio. Likewise, I have seen the damage in the southwest part of the state.
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Joe Boggs

A Case Study: Peach Leaf Curl on Ornamental Peach Trees

Peach Leaf Curl is a springtime disease caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans. The fungus can infect peach (Prunus persica) as well as a few other members of the Prunus genus. The disease can be devastating in fruit orchards, but it can also appear on ornamental (flowering) peach trees in landscapes and nurseries; the "ornamental" designation does not impart resistance.
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Joe Boggs

Blue Lupine in Bloom

Northwest Ohio is celebrating Blue Week, May 16 - 23, 2017. A symbol of the Oak Openings Region, the wild blue lupine is a native plant that can be found not only growing, but thriving in sandy soils including at the sand dunes in Oak Openings Metropark and Kitty Todd Nature Preserve - both in Lucas County. This brilliant blue flowering plant had been lost in this natural landscape in the 1980s as a result of mowing the prairie-type habitat, the use of broad spectrum weed control, and fire suppression. However, it has recently made a come-back in natural areas and gardeners are planting it...

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Amy Stone

Oak "Apples" and the Gall-Making Process

Several types of "oak-apple" galls are now obvious on their namesake oak hosts in southern and central Ohio. These unusual plant growths range in size at maturity from 1/2 - 2" in diameter and are named for their resemblance to apples. The galls are constructed of various plant parts that have been hijacked by a gall wasp (Family Cynipidae) to surround a single wasp larva located within a seed-like structure positioned at the center of the gall.
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Joe Boggs

Recent Cold Temperatures Leaves a Variable Path of Damage to Plants in Ohio

Depending on your geographical location in Ohio, the location of the plant, the actual low temperature, the plant species, as well as the growth stage on the species, the results of frost and freeze damage was variable across the state this past week.  Frost and freeze damage is so interesting because of so many variables.  A plant in a certain stage of growth may be more susceptible to frost or freeze damage than at other times.  The location of the plant in the garden may dictate the extent of the damage.  For instance, there might be two of the exact same plants in the same garden with...

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Pam Bennett

Garden Centers are Stuffed to the Gills!

On recent visits to area gardens centers I noticed that they are filled with inventory and bursting at the seams!  Since we haven't had the best weather for the first part of May, garden center owners are looking for an incredible Mother's Day weekend - the busiest day of the year for them.  The weather so far looks to be promising not only for this weekend but also for next week.  Plants are looking good right now but they need to be moved out the door and into gardens in order to make way for the next crop that is pushing right behind!

 

A reminder to gardeners that once...

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Pam Bennett

Act Now to Attract Colorful Visitors to your Yard

Each year in late April and early May many colorful migrating birds move through Ohio, often visiting suburban yards.   Some may only stay a few days before pushing on, others linger longer, and if you are lucky, a few may set up shop!   My favorite visitor is the Baltimore oriole, a bright orange and black bird.   Oranges, grape jelly, and nectar are known to attract this species.  
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Mimi Rose

Lovely Lilacs Lure Lads and Lassies to the Landscape

Lilacs, the fragrance, the beauty, the grace, the colors. Lilacs can come in all shapes, sizes ans colors. From pale purple to deep purple and white; whether a small, low shrub, a mature shrub to a upright, standard tree form, there is one to fit most landscapes. But even when they can't be seen, the fragrance attracts not only pollinators but people as well.
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Thomas deHaas

Doggone Gorgeous Dogwoods!

Here in Northeast Ohio, it has been an incredible year for observing bloom of ornamental flowering trees.  I propose that both the marvelous color and length of bloom is due to the bursts of very warm temperatures (70’s), followed by days of cooler temperatures (50’s), with a day or two of rain mixed in to keep things fresh!  The warm temperatures caused the buds to push fast into full bloom; however, then the cool temps and the rains move in preserving not only the colors, but also prolonging the length of bloom appeal and persistence on the plants.

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Erik Draper

Sassafras: Tree of the Week

  Sassafras was the bygl-alert Tree of the Week last July 29, but a reprise is in order. First of all, the emerging leaves and flowers have blown me away anew this Spring. Secondly, such a great horticulturist as Deb Knapke e-mailed me that “This is the first time I have seen the flowers of sassafras; loved it!” in response to the use of a sassafras flower picture in one of my Springtime bygl-alerts this year. 

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Jim Chatfield

Wall of Wisteria

As I was driving along the other day, it was raining and I was watching the road and the plants around me of course, when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of purple.  Intrigued, I just had to investigate and find out what the heck was going on with the purple flash!
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Erik Draper

Spruce Problem On Commercial Property

  Recently OSU Extensioneers Tim Malinich and Jim Chatfield met with horticulturists at a property in northern Ohio to look at a number of declining spruce trees. Most of the spruces on the property appeared healthy but a number had needle browning and and branch dieback, ranging from minor to severe.

  Some of the needle discoloration ascended the tree in somewhat of a spiral pattern, sometimes it was more complete, with some trees if not dead or dying, at the least becoming aesthetic liabilities. There was no evidence on the spruces at this property of any significant infectious...

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Jim Chatfield

Strobili Are Striking

In Northeast Ohio, the strobili, especially the female ones on the Picea abies or Norway Spruce, are spectacular.  These strobili or cones are located out on the very tips of main branches and because they are small right now, they’re sticking straight up.  The color of these immature female strobili ranges from a soft rose-pink to a deep, translucent burgundy. 
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Erik Draper

Annual Sugar Maple Leaf-Drop

I noticed a large number of green leaves littering the ground beneath a shade-tree sized sugar maple today in southwest Ohio; not a surprise given the recent high winds and heavy rains. However, a closer look revealed the shed leaves all had very short petioles. The other part of the broken petioles remained attached to the tree and looked like toothpicks. This is the "calling card" of the Maple Petiole Borer (Caulocampus acericaulis).
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Joe Boggs

Meadow Spittlebugs

I came across an impressive stand of Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans) earlier this week that was heavily infested with Meadow Spittlebug (Philaenus spumarius). Flower stalks of this biennial weed are currently bolting from the rosette stage. Virtually every thistle stem appeared to be festooned with the tell-tale frothy, spittle-like masses characteristic of this and other spittlebugs. The frothy masses are produced by spittlebug nymphs (family Aphrophoridae); adults of these insects are called "froghoppers."
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Joe Boggs

ETC Two-Step Control Method (Violence: Reader Discretion is Advised)

Eastern tent caterpillar (ETC) (Malacosoma americanum) silk nests are now large enough and the accompanying defoliation evident enough to be very noticeable in Ohio. The nests are located in branch forks and they reveal that population densities and caterpillar developmental rates vary widely across the state. I've driven long stretches recently without seeing a single nest on trees flanking the highway only to round a curve or top a hill to arrive in an ETC wonderland.
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Joe Boggs

Peaches Are From China

  The Latin binomial for peaches is Prunus persica, which is a bit misleading. The genus name is fine – Prunus, a genus in the rose family (Rosaceae) that includes peaches and nectarines, plums, cherries, almonds, and apricots. This reference to Persia (present day Iraq) is a misnomer, since peaches originate from China, which today by far out produces all other countries in edible peach production.  Peaches eventually made it to Persia, then to Europe, then from Spanish explorers to the New World, where they were planted into orchards in Georgia, the Peach State by the...

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Jim Chatfield

ODA Gypsy Moth Treatments Continue Next Week

Spring is a busy time of the year when it comes to gypsy moth management.  Below is a news release distributed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA).  This release, videos, treatment maps and other communications can be found directly on the ODA website at:  http://www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/plant/gypsy/gypsy-index.aspx

 

The ODA will soon begin aerial treatments designed to control the gypsy moth population in Ohio. Treatments on 1,135 acres in Hancock, Hardin, Lucas, Marion and Union counties will...

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Amy Stone

Scouting For Viburnum Leaf Beetle

The viburnum leaf beetle (VLB) (Pyrrhalta viburni) is a non-native invasive species that is making Ohio its home - well at least some of the buckeye state.  While the insect has been detected and is known to be in the northern portion of the state, we are encouraging all Ohioans to monitor for the pest and become aware of signs and symptoms if you aren't familiar with exotic invader. 

 

Last week, Mary Visco, horticulturist with the Toledo Botanical Garden (TBG) in Toledo, Ohio was scouting the viburnums in the Garden and noticed first instar larvae had hatched and...

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Amy Stone
Curtis E. Young

Gnarled Oak Leaf Midge Galls

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.
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Joe Boggs

A Nostoc Tour de Force

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.
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Joe Boggs

Flower Celebration

  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.

  The cover image for this bygl-...

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Jim Chatfield

Holey Oak Leaves!

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.
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Joe Boggs

Please Report Early-Bird Periodical Cicadas

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.
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Joe Boggs

Badaling, Badaling: The Great Wall of China

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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Jim Chatfield

Is it Time to Plant Tomatoes? Check the Soil Temperature!

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.
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Julie Crook

Glenwood Gardens: A "Volcano" Mulch-Free Zone

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!
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Joe Boggs

Slugged Rose Leaves

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.
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Joe Boggs

Corrugated River Birch Leaves

The unusual leaf distortion damage caused by the spiny witchhazel gall aphid (Hamamelistes spinosus) is now appearing on river birch in southwest Ohio. The aphid produces raised ribs or "corrugations" on the upper leaf surface that match deep furrows between the veins on the lower leaf surface where the aphids live.
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Joe Boggs

Springtime in Ohio

  Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head…Well, no, that is truly Fake News. Yet, upon returning from China to Springtime busting out all over in Ohio, I was mesmerized by the buzzing bees and budding birches; the blending of sweet birch catkins and flowering dogwood bracts above. Welcome to the Show! And right here in the Wayne County ChatScape.

 

  Up first, with a nod to China, is a golden-leaved ‘Ogon’ cultivar of dawnredwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides.

 

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Jim Chatfield

Crabapples in China

  One of the more pleasant e-mails I have received in recent memory was from my friend and colleague Dr. Ling Guo of the Beijing Botanic Gardens. It read: “Jim, would you please come to Beijing for Crabapple Conference in April 14-19 for one hour talk. All expenses paid.  Hmm, let’s see. Yes!  Fortunately, for my talkative nature it turned out to be a bit more than that one hour talk, not including the translations, but what a deal. 

...

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Jim Chatfield
Erik Draper

First Generation Pine Needle Scale Crawlers are Afoot.

First generation Pine Needle Scale (Chionaspis pinifoliae) crawlers (1st instar nymphs) are now appearing on conifers in southwest Ohio. This is a type of "armored" scale so-named because of the hard, waxy cover (test) that protects the females. The egg-shaped pine needle scale tests are snow white with a small yellowish-tan spot at the small end.
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Joe Boggs

Boxwood Leafminer Major

I first raised the alarm on boxwood leafminers (Monarthropalpus flavus) in a BYGL Alert posted in late March (see "Blistered Boxwoods and Hissing Hedges", March 30, 2017). That report focused on alerting landscape managers that high localized populations were producing heavy leafmining symptoms that could be mistaken for winter injury.
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Joe Boggs

Crabapples In Crablandia Are A Dazzling Display!

The crabapple plot, called Crablandia in Secrest Arboretum, is located in Wooster, Ohio and will be in full bloom and full splendor, in the next couple of days.  With the onset of multiple periods of unseasonably warm weather, the typical bloom emergence time is about 2 weeks ahead of schedule.  The incredible display of crabapple flowers has traditionally been one of the most popular times to stroll through the Arboretum and experience the amazing fragrance, accompanied by marvelous views of flower petals.

...
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Erik Draper

Rusty Junipers

Junipers in southwest Ohio are being garnished with tangerine tentacles and orange goo; the calling cards of rust fungi. The three fungi producing the colorful displays belong to the genus Gymnosporangium and each must alternate between a member of the plant genus Juniperus and members of the rose family (Rosaceae) in order to complete their life cycle.
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Joe Boggs

Wilting Buckeyes

Wilting buckeyes may sound like an Ann Arbor dream, but I'm not talking about our beloved Silver Bullets. I'm referring to the symptoms caused by the Buckeye Petiole Borer (Zeiraphera claypoleana) on its namesake host.
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Joe Boggs

Calico Scale is Puffing-Up and Pumping Honeydew

Overwintered calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) females are now "puffing-up" and pumping out impressive quantities of clear, sugary honeydew in southwest Ohio. The appearance of the globular, helmet-shaped females coupled with complaints of trees oozing sticky goo makes this life-stage important for detecting new infestations. All other life-stages are much less obvious.
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Joe Boggs

Sneaky Common Chickweed is Going to Seed

Common Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a European winter annual that is now found world-wide. Winter annuals are sneaky weeds. They produce seeds in the spring then plants fade away prior to the summer season; out of sight, out of mind. The seeds dodge spring applied preemergent herbicide bullets because they do not germinate until the fall. The resulting plants grow below our radar throughout the fall, winter, and early spring when we pay little attention to what's going on in our lawns and landscapes.
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Joe Boggs

Focus on Poison Hemlock Control

Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) is one of the deadliest plants in North America. This non-native invasive was imported as an ornamental in the late 1800s from Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. The plant contains highly toxic piperidine alkaloid compounds, including coniine and gamma-coniceine, which cause respiratory failure and death in mammals.
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Joe Boggs

Tigers are Prowling Ohio Woodlands

My good friend Brad Bonham told me about a conversation she had with a landscaper over the weekend who declared they were seeing Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) (EAB) beetles mating in a woodland in southwest Ohio. Of course, as she noted, it's way too early for EAB adults to be on the wing; full bloom of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a good phenological indicator for EAB adult emergence.
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Joe Boggs

Not Too Early For Ticks: Dog Tick

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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Ashley Kulhanek

Eastern Tent Caterpillar Update

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.
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Joe Boggs

NW Ohio Anticipating Egg Hatch of Gypsy Moth

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,...

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Amy Stone

Spring Lawn Seeding

 

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...

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Amy Stone

Product or Active Ingredient - Could There Be Confusion?

 

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...

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Amy Stone

Sawfly Leafminers Fly

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.
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Joe Boggs

Juniper Scale Examined

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.
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Joe Boggs

Form and Function

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...

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Jim Chatfield

Updated EAB Detection Map

Each month, the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) updates and distributes an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) Detection Map. While EAB is "old news" to many in the buckeye state, it is interesting to continue to watch the progression of this invasive species in North America. In February 2003, EAB was confirmed for the first time in Ohio in Lucas County in NW Ohio, approximately seven months after the initial detection and identification in Michigan the summer before. Fast forward 14+ years later...

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Amy Stone

Outstanding Resource for Testing Ticks

Nancy Taylor recently found a great resource regarding ticks called the Laboratory of Medical Zoology (LMZ).  LMZ is an academic research lab at the University of Massachusetts with a focus on infectious diseases or more specific "zoonosis".  Their website describes zoonosis as "diseases with transmission cycles that involve other animal species."  One of the great things about this resource is that they test ticks for diseases.  The standard test of deer ticks is $50.00 and includes testing for Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis.  In addition you can search their database and find...

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Pam Bennett

Emerald Ash Borer University - Spring 2017

Are you looking to get your emerald ash borer (EAB) updates?  Pesticides?  Parasitoids?  Why not learn more about EAB and other invasives from the comfortable of your own office or home?  Tomorrow, February 21 is the official kick-off to the "2017 spring semester." 

 

On Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at 11:00 am EST, Dr. Cliff Sadof with Purdue University will be providing an update on Chemical Control of EAB:  What Works, What Doesn't Work, and Why.  This session is the first of a series of presentations that include information on hemlock woolly...

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Amy Stone

Building Ohio State - A Must See Library Exhibit

 

 

If you are on the Ohio State University campus anytime now until May 14, 2017,  Building Ohio State it is a must see.  In fact, it is worth a trip to Columbus to specifically see this library exhibit. You won't be disappointed as the amount of planning and preparation by the team that pulled everything together is truly amazing! You will learn about how trees play such an important role - both while they are alive and after they are harvested. One of my favorite areas of the exhibit included a "did you know case" that included a wide variety of...

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Amy Stone
Kathy Smith

Never Too Early To Begin Tracking Growing Degree Days (GDD)

A recorded breaking warm-up in January is just a memory. While temperatures are feeling a bit more winter-like, it is not too earlier to begin following the Growing Degree Day Calendar online at  https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/gdd/

 

A quick check earlier today showed that Toledo had accumulated 16 GDD units in 2017.  Do you know what is happening in your part of the state? Check it out today! 

 

Once at the website, all you will need is an Ohio zipcode! 

 

...
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Amy Stone

ODA Announces 2017 Gypsy Moth Treatment Project Open Houses

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has announced the 2017 Gypsy Moth Treatment Project Open Houses that will be held this winter prior to treatment applications that will be made later in the spring and summer. 

 

 

The gypsy moth is currently in the egg mass stage where it has been since late last summer.  This spring, caterpillars will hatch and the feeding frenzy will begin. 

...
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Amy Stone

Ohio Woodlands, Water and Wildlife Newsletter Available Online

Have you heard of the Ohio State University Woodland Stewards Program?  If you haven't, I will let you in on a little secret.  The Ohio Woodland Stewards Program is an excellent educational resource that includes publications, workshops, classes, tree scale sticks, and links to other resources for anyone who cares for or manages trees, has an interest in aquatics and enjoys wildlife!

 

Ohio Woodlands, Water and Wildlife, is a newsletter that is produced three times a year. It provides subcribers with updates on the latest issues related to woodland management,...

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Amy Stone

Revised Worker Protection Standard Workshops Offered in 2017

 

Is your business compliant with revised worker protection standards?  The Federal Worker Protection Standards (WPS) protects agricultural workers and pesticide handlers by reducing their risk from pesticide exposure.  WPS was revised in 2015, and phased-in compliance begins January 2, 2017. 

 

These FREE workshop will provide employers and managers what they need to bring their WPS Program in compliance with the new requirements, including changes in training, restrictions during applications, personal protective equipment, decontamination...

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Amy Stone

Tree of the Week: Sweetgum

  You are all waiting for BYGLQuest 3 results, I know you are...Soon. For now, though" 

  There are variegated sweetgums. There are upright sweetgums. There are those who are driven to distraction by sweetgum fruits, cool though they are.  There are the multitudinous fall colors of sweetgum, There are the winged stems of many sweetgums. There are the truly wonderful monoecious flowers of sweetgum. There are sweetgums in the snow. There are sweetgums that range from Florida to states north of Ohio. Liquidambar styraciflua, you of the twice-named gum, we barely know ye!...

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Jim Chatfield

2016 Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course A Success

A shout out to all the attendees, presenters, moderators and monitors who participated in the 2016 OSU Green Industry Short Course.  The Short Course was held last week in collaboration with the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation's Conference and Tradeshow at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. 
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Amy Stone

Last Vestiges of Fall, Part Deux

  As each day goes by, the season for fall color continues to fade, but one last time (oh maybe another to come), here are a few features from last week, starting with the lead photo of the European larch at OSU’s Wooster Campus showing its final glories before winter quiescence.

 

  Next, check out the roses in German Village, still blooming during the OSU Nursery Short Course and Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Show last week. Now they are surely blasted. But those leaves with the black spot will fall to the base of the plant and lurk into next season, developing spores for...

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Jim Chatfield

Last Vestiges of Fall, Part 1

  Last week was the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Show and the OSU Green Industry Short Course and I took a few pastry-seeking walks down to German Village from the Columbus Convention Center. With this weekend’s cold and snow, let us remember some of the – last vestiges of fall, starting above with florist's geraniums, sure to no longer be with us.

 

  Barberry (Berberis) fall foliage is quite colorful, and while fact-checking a bit, I was surprised to learn that the Berberidaceae family also includes two of my favorite wildflowers, Podophyllum...

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Jim Chatfield

BYGLQuest 2016-3: The Name Game

And now…for BYGLQuest 2016-3...I hope you are adorned in your togas, using your fingers to eat olives and figs.  Or how about nocello poured over gelato?  At any rate, here is your weekend challenge – and timing is everything. The best answer to these four plant name and classification questions by 11:59 Sunday night, December 4, 2016 will receive a publication from my archives. 
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Jim Chatfield

Knowing About Trees... Will Definitely Please!

Have you always wanted to know more about trees and why they grow like they do, why they need the resources that they utilize and just what exactly do they need to grow and thrive… And have many other question like these?  Well the perfect learning opportunity has arrived with some outstanding speakers and researchers willing to share their current tree knowledge with you!

 

...
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Erik Draper

Shrub of the Week: Winterberry Holly

{Text and photos for this bygl-alert are provided by Paul Snyder, horticulturist for OSU’s Secrest Arboretum at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, with a little help from Jim Chatfield}. Deck the halls with boughs of holly, winterberry (Ilex verticillata) that is. While this member of the genus Ilex is not what Thomas Oliphant had in mind when he transliterated the lyrics of this ancient welsh carol into English, it is what we think of at Secrest. Ilex verticillata is perhaps the most visually stunning member of the genus Ilex. Ilex, which comes from the...
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Jim Chatfield

BYGLQuest 2016-2 Revealed: Its The Blueberries

 

  You may recall that the challenge for BYGLQuest 2016-2 (http://bygl.osu.edu/node/649) was to identify all plants in the images accompanying the text. There were numerous fine responses, but the discriminator was the one and only person to identify the lead image (see above).  It is a blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) in my backyard.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

ALB eNewsletter from USDA

Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) has been in the news recently, including a BYGL Alert written by Joe Boggs on November 18, 2016 - "New ALB Infestation Found in Clermont County, OH."  That BYGL Alert can be found by clicking on this link:  http://bygl.osu.edu/node/641

 

While there is an interest in regular ALB Updates in Ohio since eradication efforts are underway to eliminate this exotic invader in the buckeye state.  People may occasionally want a national update with reports from Massachusetts and New York...

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Amy Stone

BYGL Mail - November 25, 2016: Ginkgoes and All Trees Remembered

  First things first: Remember that the Ohio Turfgrass Conference and the OSU Green Industry Short Course are coming soon (December 6-8), and are preceded by the OSU Trees on Tap program on December 5. Check it out:

  The program schedule is at:  http://www.otfshow.org/education/

  Register at:  http://www.otfshow.org/registration/

  And now to ginkgoes – and trees – for our Thanksgivings.  From Kent Honl, arborologist (a term from the great John Lloyd lexicon) of...

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Jim Chatfield

BYGL Mailbag - November 24, 2016: Nude VIburnums

  I was talking to the Ohio Hosta Society the other night about Vibunum nudum (go figure) and it reminds me now during this Thanksgiving holiday time that it is time to catch up with the BYGL Mailbag and comments from bygl-alert readers. Note: If you correspond, we will not use your name and direct quotes for these Mailbag items without your permission.

  So, Viburnum nudum…if you have read http://bygl.osu.edu/node/627 and http://bygl.osu.edu/node/635 you know...

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Jim Chatfield

Trees on Tap Program: December 5

  Ohio is certainly the place for trees (more later), and you will certainly learn a great deal more about trees at OSU’s 2nd Annual Trees on Tap program on December 5 at the Ohio Convention Center, immediately preceding the 89th Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course and 50th Ohio Turfgrass Conference from December 6-8. 
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Jim Chatfield

Perennials for Shade

While some areas of the state have received their first snowfall of the season, others haven't had that joy - at least not yet.  This time of the year is a great time to expand your knowledge and learn the latest and the greatest; all in preparation for the 2017 season. 

 

If someone asks for a perennial recommendation for shade, do you answer with those perennial staples and long-time favorites?  Do you want learning more about perennials for shade beyond the basics?  Which plants can you tuck in the shade and it is there that they make a statement in the landscape?  Which...

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Amy Stone

Don't Be A Turkey And Miss The Green Industry Short Course and OTF Conference and Tradeshow Early Registration Deadline - November 25

As everyone is busily preparing for Thanksgiving, don't forget that the early registration for the 2016 Green Industry Short Course and the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Tradeshow is Friday, November 25- it is like getting two educational programs for the price of one and the early bird registration discount is just another added bonus! 

 

There is also a group discount for the same business or organization who will be sending 5 or more employees. 

 

The event will be held at the Great Columbus Convention Center.  Pre-conference workshops are...

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Amy Stone

Shrubs of the Week: Rosa rugosa Plus

{The images and writing for this bygl-alert is from Joe Cochran, the Curator of OSU’s Secrest Arboretum at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, Ohio}

  What a difference a day makes!  I awoke Saturday morning, November 19, to cold, blowing flurries along Granny Creek in Knox County. It was a mere 14 hours prior that I was strolling through the arboretum in short sleeves marveling at the autumn splendors. On trying to decide on a Shrub of the Week, it was soon evident that it would need to be Shrubs of the Week. It was the middle of November and the...

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Jim Chatfield

Tree of the Week: Ginkgo biloba

  Ginkgo leaves this past week or weekend or this very day are falling, or have fallen, or are still dangling golden earrings on the tree, or yet have a touch of green, or fall with the first snow: All at once, almost quantum-esque, depending upon location, within Ohio, or on one side of the street, or dependent upon the condition of the tree. Don’t believe me: check it out.  It is certainly one thing though: The Tree of the Week. Or is it merely one, or is it two, or both one and/or two?. Read on.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Learn The Latest on Invasives at the OSU Green Industry Short Course

While invasive species are on everyone's radar, do you know the latest? A great way to hear about the latest updates when it comes to invasive plants, insects and diseases is to attend the Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course and the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Tradeshow in December at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. 

 

Joe Boggs and Amy Stone will be updating participants on invasive species in Ohio with updates from the field and what you can do to help with these battles on Wednesday, December 7. 

 

Kathy Smith will be...

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Amy Stone

OSU Green Industry Short Course and OTF Conference and Tradeshow - December 5 - 8

Tis' the season to register for the upcoming Ohio State University Green Industry Short Course and the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Tradeshow!  While we haven't seen any snow yet, predictions are in the weekend forecast for at least the northeastern region of Ohio. 

 

Three preconference workshops will be offered Monday, December 5 and the program runs fromTuesday, December 6 through Thursday, December 8. There is still time to register at the early bird price but don't delay. Register before November 25 for the discounted price. More than five people attending...

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Amy Stone

First Freeze of Year in NW Ohio

Well we knew we could not avoid it forever.  The fall temperatures have been enjoyable.  Last night in NW Ohio, temperatures dipped to 25F.  Our average first freeze of the fall season occurs about three weeks earlier, and our first average measurable snowfall is just 2 weeks away.  Last night's low temperatures should have finally taken out those annuals and tender perennials that we have gotten to enjoy for an extended time this year.

 

While there were a couple frosts prior to last night's freeze, many herbaceous plants where still going strong.  It has been wonderful to...

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Amy Stone

Viburnum nudum, Part Deux

  Note: As you await tonight’s Election results, situated in front of your TV or at watch parties, here is something horticultural for you to vote upon: should you plant Viburnum nudum?  Read on.  

  On October 28, 2016 we did a bygl-alert for the Shrub of the Week as Viburnum nudum (http://bygl.osu.edu/node/627). Quickly we had some responses noting that, for example “…it might be helpful to include V. nudum's susceptibility to infestation by the Viburnum Leaf Beetle. ...

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Jim Chatfield
Curtis E. Young

Fall Foliage III

  Never-to-be-forgotten fall color continued this past Saturday in Wayne County in northeast Ohio – and I suspect, elsewhere. The red maple (Acer rubrum) above and the other images were all from Saturday morning, November 5, in my yard and the nearby Johnson Woods Nature Preserve near Orrville five miles away.

  Maples held sway in their many iterations, from the luminosity of sugar maples (Acer saccharum) at Johnson Woods, to the unusually foliated hornbeam maple (Acer carpinifolium) in the ChatScape.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Shrub of the Week: Common Witchhazel

  {This bygl-alert was written by Paul Snyder, horticulturist with OSU’s Secrest Arboretum at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster. Two pictures were added by Jim Chatfield.  

 

  Members of the genus Hamamelis open and close the season for woody flowering plants. Flowering begins with Hamamelis vernalis and Hamamelis x intermedia hybrids in the spring and end with the flowering of Hamamelis virginiana in the fall and Hamamelis mollis in early winter. One Hamamelis mollis selection, ‘...

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Jim Chatfield

Tree of the Week: Name That Plant

  This tree resides in my front yard, and was a gift from Rich Larson of Dawes Arboretum almost three decades ago after I gave a talk on pests and diseases of trees. Fortunately, this tree in general has few insects or infectious diseases and my gift tree and its multi-stemmed trunks has now grown about 40 feet tall in those 29 years. It is a native tree, but fairly unusual in Ohio woodlands. This tree has intensely lemon-yellow changing to burnt gold fall foliage which was spectacular from late October and now into the first few days of November this year. ...

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Jim Chatfield

Signs of the Times: From Trees to Turtles

  A recent bygl-mail correspondent, Beth Deimling from Lakeland Nursery in Indiana, recently wrote “As wonderfully entertaining authors of BYGL, I thought you might be appreciative of this sign that my husband and I saw while on vacation last month in Wisconsin. Of course, as world travelers, you may have already seen it, or something similar. Thanks for all of your stories, photos, and attempts at educating us!”

  It is a telling sign, as other locales deal with Emerald Ash Borer encroachments. The sign stirs up some memories of other signs of the times:  here are a few...

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Jim Chatfield

Trees on Tap - OSU Green Industry Short Course Pre-Conference Workshop - December 5, 2016

You won't want to miss this year's Trees on Tap preconference workshop as part of this year's OSU Green Industry Short Course (GISC), formally the OSU Nursery Short Course. 

 

The preconference workshop will be held on Monday, December 5, 2016 at the Columbus Convention Center.  Registration will be begin at 9:00 am, with the program starting at 9:30 am.  The workshop ends at 4:45 pm, with a workshop reception to follow. 

 

The workshop's agenda include the following topics:  Why Trees Matter; Treesources Must-Haves...

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Amy Stone

Tree of the Week: Korean Maple

  Ever since Kenny Cochran of Secrest Arboretum introduced me to Korean or purple-bloom maple, Acer pseudosieboldianum, and I planted one in my backyard, I have been in wonder of its features. Fall foliage color, of course (more on that later), but years ago after the first years in our laissez-faire landscape, and with it almost making it look like I knew what I was doing, with its elegant form and overarching branches, I brought this up to horticulturist extraordinaire Ethan Johnson of Holden Arboretum. 

  Ethan agreed on the fall color, but noted that in his experience...

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Jim Chatfield

Shrub of the Week: VIburnum nudum

   The text and images for this bygl-alert are by Paul Snyder, horticulturist with OSU’s Secreest Arboretum at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster}

 

  It is typical this time of year to have many tour groups visit Secrest. Planted along some of the paths is a plant that makes everyone stop and say, ‘Wow, what is it?” If you are thinking it is a selection of Malus you are mistaken.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Fall Clean Up for a Healthier Spring Landscape!

Fall is an important time in landscape maintenance.  Many pest problems and diseases encountered this season may survive until next season on or in plant debris.  Cultural practices completed prior to the beginning of winter will ensure a healthier landscape for next spring. 

Some of the fall crops can still be left in the garden for a while, however warm season vegetables are about done for the season.  Remove all annual vegetable plants from garden beds in order to prevent overwintering insect and diseases.  Diseased plants should not be composted unless the compost pile reaches...

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Julie Crook

Did You Know? It's Bat Week!

What IS Bat week, you ask? Bat Week is an annual, international celebration of the role of bats in nature. This year, Bat Week is right now! It started October 24th and runs through October 31st. Bat Week is organized by a team of conservation organizations and government agencies from across the United States and Canada with the goal of raising awareness and promoting conservation of bat species around the world.

 

...
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Marne Titchenell

Help Needed in Gray Fox Study

Calling all trappers! Trappers who catch gray fox this season are asked to contact the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife if gray foxes are caught. The Division of Wildlife is pursuing a gray fox study and requests the help of trappers in capturing study animals. Foxes caught that are deemed suitable for collaring and release will receive $40.00. NOTE: Only gray fox caught in the following counties are eligible: Athens, Belmont, Coshocton, Gallia, Fairfield, Guernsey, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross,...

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Marne Titchenell

Fall Color, Part Deux

  We have visited fall color themes with several recent bygl-alerts (http://bygl.osu.edu/node/612; http://bygl.osu.edu/node/603; http://bygl.osu.edu/node/602), and as the season progresses it just keeps getting richer. Following are some additional Season of 2016 features. And the lead picture above, though it looks like it comes from the Smokies or from Almost Heaven, is just from my backyard, with fall foliage rising from the strawberry fields forever of the...

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Jim Chatfield

Oaks, and Fall, and Propagation: Oh My!

  {This bygl-alert is from Paul Snyder, horticulturist at OSU’s Secrest Arboretum at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, with a small assist from Jim Chatfield.}

  Note: The image above is of Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus) acorns.  Members of the white oak group, like chestnut oak, should be planted immediately after collecting. The radicle (the first part of the plant embryo to emerge from the seed) comes out in the fall.

  Fall is here and that means trees are releasing their fruits produced over the summer. For squirrels and other...

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Jim Chatfield

Shrub of the Week: Buttonbush

  Native plants are all the rage in the plant world (apart from new hydrangea cultivars), and rightfully so―they are well adapted to our climate and zone, and serve as a host for a variety of insects, birds, and other wildlife. Indeed, when we plant a landscape we aren’t just making an area look nice. Rather, we are creating an ecosystem.

  A native plant that shines this time of year is Cephalanthus occidentalis, Buttonbush. This plant is commonly thought of only for its globular white flowers in summer. Yet this member of the Rubiaceae is attractive all season. Glossy...

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Jim Chatfield

Signs and Symptoms: A Tale of Two Tar Spots

  As noted earlier (http://bygl.osu.edu/node/525) there are two common tar spots of maple seen in Ohio.  One, that occurs commonly on silver and red maple results in dense, tarry spots caused by the fungus, Rhytisma acerinum. A second tar spot disease is typically found on Norway maple, with multiple tiny tarry spots that eventually coalesce into a larger spot, not quite as “tarry” but nonetheless black in color, caused by the fungus  Rhytisma punctatum.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Fall Home Invaders: spiders, stink bugs, and more!

The calls have begun.  Insects and spiders are being found inside homes around Medina, and I suspect many other counties in Ohio.  Fall brings an annual immigration of all sorts of arthropods but this is not meant to be a halloween horror, but a normal part of the life cycle and survival of many creepy (or cute!) crawlies.

 

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

...

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Ashley Kulhanek

Spotted Wing Drosophila in Raspberries

I received a report of "white worms" in fall-bearing raspberries associated with the activity of the non-native invasive pest, Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii).  Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) is a tiny fly, nearly indistinguishable from our native common vinegar flies (also called fruit flies) without a magnifying device. (Photo courtesy of Jim Jasinski, OSU Integrated Pest Management Coordinator)
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Ashley Kulhanek

Read All About It!

  The love of books. As promised, here are the first five books to know about, read, teach your co-horts and fellow naturalists about, and to treat yourself and others to for the upcoming holidays. 

 

  1. A Sand County Almanac – Aldo Leopold. A naturalist’s classic.
  2. Seeing Trees – Nancy R. Hugo and Richard Llewellyn. Photographic and written essays of the annual life of trees.
  3. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants – Michael Dirr.  Must have for reference and priceless observations and perspectives.
  4. The Invention of...
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Jim Chatfield

Banded Garden Spider

The banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) is found throughout Ohio; however, it may be easily overlooked in favor of its slightly larger and more stunningly colored cousin; the yellow garden spider (A. aurantia).
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Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Seasonal Needle Coloration

  Many of us are aware that pines and other narrow-leaved trees and shrubs that we term “evergreen”, do lose inner needles in the fall and sometimes in the spring, most noticeably on white pine. Others of us, though having seen it all our lives, may not have noticed (“The true voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes, but in having new eyes” – Proust).  

  For those who are aware, “Remember what it was like not to know”, and teach others well.  Speaking of teaching this, no-one said it better than Aldo Leopold in his “A Sand County Almanac” (1949), a...

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Jim Chatfield

Perennial of the Week: New England Aster

New England aster (Symphyotrichumnovae-angliae) is an excellent plant for the fall garden.  In addition to providing color in the landscape, it also is a late-season source of pollen for bees and other pollinators.  New England aster is native to much of the Eastern US and its purple daisy-like flowers can be seen in fields in bloom now.  It blooms from late summer through October. This plant prefers moist, rich soils but will tolerate clay soils, and some drought once established.  New England aster grows well in a sunny location but can also succeed in partial shade.  This plant...

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Julie Crook

New Worker Protection Compliance Manual Now Available

The must-read manual for growers on the 2015 revised Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is now available. Horticultural growers such as greenhouses and nurseries will be most affected by these changes because of the numbers of workers they employ.  Retailers are also affected if pesticides are applied to holding areas. 
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Mimi Rose

White-tailed Deer Road Watch

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) provide abundant recreation opportunities for hunters and wildlife watchers. Unfortunately, they can also cost us millions of dollars every year. How? Imagine you are driving down a poorly lit road at night when all of the sudden a deer appears on the road in front of you. Despite your honking and screeching breaks, the animal remains frozen in its tracks, exhibiting to perfection 'a deer in headlights'. Deer vehicle collisions are incredibly dangerous and often costly. So listen up motorists, now is the time when deer are on the move and...

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Marne Titchenell

Alarum Alarum Erratum Erratum: Nettles and Azaleas and My Red Face, Oh My

  To err is human, so I must most certainly be massively, essentially human. To the point, two such bygl-alert errors of mine due for acknowledgment come from two of my favorite plantspersons: Charles Tubesing of Holden Arboretum and Ron Wilson of Natorp’s Nursery

  First, to an egregious error most nettlesome. In http://bygl.osu.edu/node/596 I wrote of fruits of what I called “stinging nettle”.  As Charles pointed out these may be nettles that sting, but the plant I saw and the pictures of fruits and the wedge-shaped leaves I showed were...

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Jim Chatfield
Autumn Light chatfield.1@osu.edu Tue, 10/11/2016 - 11:09

Autumn light is different from summer light: more golden, as light rays lengthen, with longer shadows.  While there is time, and while the blue skies we have enjoyed all growing season fade to gray as winter beckons, go forth and catch some slanted sun-rays of autumn.  Enjoy the full life of fall.  

  The past few days have brought out the colors of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), often neglected when the best fall foliage plants are listed. As the lead picture shows it is wonderful now, and its fat flower buds promise springtime reprisals.

  Next, enjoy the...

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Jim Chatfield

Shrub of the Week: Purple Beauty Berry

{Photos and text for this bgyl-alert are provided by Joe Cochran, the Curator of OSU’s Secrest Arboretum at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster.}

 

  The fruits of purple beauty berry  (Callicarpa dichotoma) are among the most splendid of the fall-fruiting shrubs.  On arching branches, small delicate fruits appear to be glossy pearls that have been dipped in a lilac-violet varnish.  Against the light-green foliage their beauty cannot go unnoticed.  Growing 4-5 ft. with a slightly larger spread, the tips often reach to the ground. A...

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Jim Chatfield

Fruits of Fall

  Fall is for foliage, but also for – fruits.  We sometimes miss this for landscape plants, blinded by apples and apple cider and the final harvests from summer gardens. Yet there is much to enjoy.  So here is a short view of a few of The Fruits of Orrville, Ohio (Wayne County) with a finale the finale from Otterbein University in Franklin County.

 

  We started above with the bubble-gum colored fruits of Symphoricarpos. I am not sure of the species or cultivar of this particular street-planted beauty, though possibly it is Amethyst™ Symphoricarpos x...

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Jim Chatfield

Fall Foliage I

  We are entering that world-class time of the year for Ohio and the Eastern United States – the time of fall foliage color. Nevertheless, we are receiving numerous calls about what is wrong with their trees, especially honeylocusts; yellowing leaves and all.

  Nothing out of the ordinary – it is simply fall foliage time. Despite our warm temperatures and with it seeming like it is still summer - for trees - fall is proceeding as usual. There are factors of temperature and moisture that affect fall coloration intensity, but the key ingredient for fall color starts in the summer at...

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Jim Chatfield

Tree of the Week: Dawnredwood

  I once wrote a poem of the seasons of dawnredwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides.  Let us deconstruct, starting with the name of this majestic tree, for as the Chinese philosopher Krishtalka noted: “The beginning of wisdom is calling things by their right name.”

  The Latin binomial itself is telling: “meta-sequoia” means “like-sequoia”, and dawnredwoods are related, in the Cupressaceae family, to the true redwoods, Sequoia and Sequoiadendron. The “glyptostrob-oides” refers to another sister genus in the Cupressaceae, Glyptostrobus....

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Jim Chatfield

Weed of the Week: Stinging Nettle

  At Johnson Woods Nature Preserve near Orrville in Wayne County, there are many wonderful plants including towering oaks and beeches and sourgums.  There are birds including barred owls that are a hoot to hear in matched pairs from across the preserve.  This past weekend the fungi were having a real coming out party following recent rains.  Squirrels, including black squirrels, were clucking away. And stinging nettles were fruiting; something I had never noticed before.  

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Umbrellaland

  The Umbrella Magnolia Grove (Magnolia tripetala) at OSU’s Secrest Arboretum in Wooster, for almost a century was a revered place: a protected place from non-lightning rainstorms, a place for rituals of many a kind, a wow place for children, a favorite of now-retired Secrest curator, Ken Cochran.
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Jim Chatfield

Pythium and Phytophthora Pummel Pumpkins in NE Ohio

In the past few weeks, I have received multiple questions from farmers growing pumpkins, asking what is going on with the pumpkins!  When pressed about what they were seeing, the response is always a “come out and see for yourself” and so I usually do!  For me, plant problem diagnostics are ALWAYS more accurate and effective when done hands-on, using my own senses and asking those pertinent or impertinent questions to get at the answers!  In these cases of the great pumpkin patch puzzle, they would pick perfectly healthy looking pumpkins, wash the dirt off of rinds and put them into bins...

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Erik Draper

Ratty Redbuds

Although the growing season is winding down, Extension offices in Ohio are continuing to receive questions regarding redbud leaves turning brown after being folded over or "glued" together.  The culprit is the Redbud Leaffolder (Fascista cercerisella; order Lepidoptera; family Gelechiidae).
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Joe Boggs

A Tale of Two Visitors

  English ivy (Hedera helix) and wintercreeper euonymus (Euonymus fortunei) are two non-native climbers we are all accustomed to seeing in Ohio landscapes.  Horticulturists and natural area managers often have very different perspectives on these species here in Ohio and in areas, wanted and unwanted, where they grow. What is your “nature and nurture” perspective?
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Jim Chatfield

Planting/Transplanting Perennials in Early Fall Requires a Little Extra TLC

The recommended time for planting or transplanting perennials is late August or early September.  This gives adequate time for roots to establish before winter comes.  However, like most gardeners, I don't usually think about it in late August and besides, this year was too hot to take on this task anyways.

 

I finally got around to it this past weekend and the weather was glorious to work outside.  I needed to transplant a few perennials as well as plant some that I bought at a plant sale in the spring.  Yes, I am a little behind but I really didn't want to plant them...

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Pam Bennett

Mushroom is Magnificent!

A local arborist called me one day and asked if it was possible that I could identify a mushroom.  Sure, I said I could do that and reminded him that identification is always much easier if a sample was dropped off for me to examine.  Later, as I rehearsed our conversation, I remember hearing him chuckle and then saying, “Well, you’re going to love this one”.   I was thinking through a couple of types and shapes of typical mushrooms when I walked into my office the next morning.  You can imagine my surprise when I spied on my desk, the huge fruiting body of Bondarzewia berkeleyi ...

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Erik Draper

Woolly Bears on the Move

Bristly "woolly bear" caterpillars have started their annual crawl-about in search of sheltered locations where they will spend the winter.  They may be found on sidewalks and walking trails or on the walls of homes and buildings.  Some may be slowly making their way to Vermillion, Ohio, to attend an annual festival held in their honor.
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Joe Boggs

From Webworms to "We All Scream": Walks in Wooster

  Over the past five weeks, Wooster Ohio, home of two great institutions of higher education, a liberal arts institution - the College of Wooster, and a land grant institution, Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and the City of Wooster have provided ample photographic opportunities for horticulturalisms and botanizing. Here are a few, from my light and dark perspectives: 
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Jim Chatfield

Beetles on Goldenrod

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) is in full bloom throughout the state.  Soldier beetles (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus, family Cantharidae) and locust borer adults (Megacyllene robiniae, family Cerambycidae) are commonly found on the flowers of this beautiful native plant adding to the plant's interest to entomophiles.
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Joe Boggs

Orange Dogs and Family Matters

I recently came across a bizarre looking caterpillar - it looked like bird poo - while looking on a wafer ash (Ptelea trifoliate) for the white, frothy "egg plugs" of the two-marked treehopper (Enchenopa binotata) and admiring some heavy potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) damage.  I learned the bizarre looking caterpillar has an appropriately bizarre sounding common name:  the orange dog.

 

The orange dog (sometimes called orange puppy) caterpillar is the larval stage of the eastern giant swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes).  As...

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Joe Boggs

Shrub of the Week: Rhus

    When considering adding a touch of fall color to your landscape, don’t forget the sumacs.  Belonging to the family Anacardiaceae, some of their notable relatives include cashew, pistachio, mango, smokebush, and even poison ivy and poison sumac.  The genus Rhus, consists of around 35 species and grows in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in East Asia, Africa, and North America.
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Jim Chatfield

Goldenrod is Glorious in Geauga!

It is a weed of waste places, which turns wherever it grows into a yellow-gold slice of sunshine on the ground, is Solidago spp. or more commonly known to many as the annoying weed, Goldenrod.  While it is known as a weed, it also provides a vibrant splash of color to the edges of fields, in ditches and other abandoned or disturbed sites.
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Erik Draper

Root of the Matter

  Tonight I am doing a program at Secrest Arboretum in the Ohio Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture series for arborist certification. We will be learning together about “Tree Biology”, so let’s remind ourselves – and teach others – about “the root of the matter.”  Here are four maxims about the critical, but often overlooked by many, key to plant health: roots.
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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs
Erik Draper

Flowerosophy

  Flowers are, of course, wondrous, the birds and the bees and all that, the pollen grain germinating on the receptive stigma with the pollen tube then delivering sperm nuclei to the ovules below, with the thus fertilized eggs becoming seeds surrounded by the ovary ripening into the fruit. Flowers may be inconspicuous, but they may also may be beauteous; here are a few captured by camera this past week
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Jim Chatfield

Perennial of the Week: Ironweed

Here at the Medina Extension Office, we have Ironweed (Vernonia spp.) planted among other native and annual flowers outside.  And every year people visit our office just to ask, "What is that giant purple flower!?"  Its purple flowers are quite an eye catcher and, despite having "weed" in its name, ironweed's late blooms in summer to fall and brilliant color make it an attractive native wildflower for many gardeners.

...

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Ashley Kulhanek

Diagnostics: Who Knows Most About the Plants?

  On Vesey Street in downtown Manhattan, between the 9/11 memorials and the Irish Hunger Memorial along the Hudson River, is a row of Chinese elms in a streetscape. Recently, as I was walking there I noticed two of the elms with thinning foliage, and for that matter they were set apart by big-time protective railings and stakings and alone among the row, Treegators, extra factors that turned out to be mostly non-sequiturs, but did initially catch my eye.
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Jim Chatfield

Fall Forecast II

  Earlier this week Extensioneer Erik Draper featured poison ivy foliar coloration as a Harbinger of Autumn (http://bygl.osu.edu/node/567). As we approach September 22 and the Autumnal Equinox, here are a few more visuals of the changing of the guard.
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Jim Chatfield

Tree of the Week: Swamp White Oak

I was recently in New York City, 15 years after the 9/11 tragedy, and was reminded of that day. We were on our BYGL call back here in Ohio and Dave Dyke of OSUE, Hamilton County broke into a plant report with news that a plane, possibly a small plane had flown into the World Trade Center. We took it in and continued our reports.

 

  Minutes later he burst in that another plane had hit the other tower and that these were large passenger planes. Now we knew something was terribly wrong and yet, like many people, we tried to continue with our scheduled activities for a while....

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Jim Chatfield

Shrub of the Week: Comptonia (Sweetfern)

 This plant is not a fern. Rather, Sweetfern is a native woody shrub. According to E. Lucy Braun (The Woody Plants of Ohio), it is only found in a few counties in Ohio where it inhabits open oak forests, pastures, and roadsides. This plant fits into the category of small shrubs that many homeowners are looking for, maturing at a height of 2-4’.
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Jim Chatfield

There We Go...The Harbinger of Autumn Appears!

As I was driving along the roadways of Geauga County, I suddenly noticed the upright pillars of changing color wrapped around tree trunks.  Yes, I believe that it is most likely, that autumnal color is the ONLY redeeming quality of Toxicodendron radicans, commonly known as Poison Ivy!  At this time of year, the fall colors of this rash inducing woody vine, are unparalleled for their stunning reds, oranges, yellows and every color mixture in-between.  It almost makes one want to go up to collect some leaves to put in a fall color collage between pieces of waxed paper to hang on the...

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Erik Draper

Tree of the Week: Kentucky Coffeetree

  Kentucky coffeetree is a native tree that is planted as a tough urban survivor in streetscapes, and is tolerant of limey soils and tree pits (Chicago urban foresters list it as one of their five toughest street trees). It has a starkly coarse yet beautiful appearance in the winter landscape, and its fairly early fall defoliation and late spring foliation make it perfect if long seasons of sun penetration are desired.
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Jim Chatfield

Trees and Lightning

Recent storms that have moved through northwest Ohio have brought some much needed rain.  Some of that rain has been accompanied by lightning, high winds and even tornados.  The large oak pictured with this article was strike by lightning resulting in the outward symptom a "lightning scar." 

 

As I was searching for additional information when writing this article, I came across a FactSheet from Purdue University, Trees and Lightning.   It is an excellent resource and describes the range of damage to the tree that can occur during and after a lightning strike.  The...

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Amy Stone

Rare Caterpillar Attends 83rd Ohio Plant Diagnostic Workshop

Thanks to the sharp eyes of Erik 'The Caterpillar Hunter' Draper (OSU Extension, Geauga County), this very rare caterpillar made an appearance at yesterday's 83rd Ohio Plant Diagnostic Workshop.  The Paddle Caterpillar is the larval form of the Funerary Dagger Moth (Acronicta funeralis, family Noctuidae).
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Joe Boggs

Mushrooms in the Yard: To Eat or Not to Eat has been a Common Question

With the return of more regular rains in some areas of Ohio, mushroom production in lawns seems to be going gang busters.  Some view these mushrooms as a mere nuisance, some are freaked out by their presence, and some want to make a meal out of them.  STOP!  One must have an absolute, positive identification before dining on these "free" mushrooms.

 

...
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Curtis E. Young

Ode to Joy: A Walk in the Park and German VIllage

  The first image of a caladium and coleus window box above is from a walk I took a few weeks ago with the Ohio Nursery Landscape Association’s Executive Director Frits Risor through German Village and Schiller Park there, and then later in the day checking out the crape myrtles planted in landscapes a little further north near ONLA’s World Headquarters in Westerville. A few other items we saw include:

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Cedar Rust Fungi Aecial Tubes Now Evident

  For the last month the fungal tubes of the “aecial” stage of several cedar rust fungi, namely cedar-apple rust (Gymonsporangium juniper-virginianae) and cedar-hawthorn rust (G. globosum) have been evident on leaf undersides of hawthorns, as seen in the accompanying picture.

  These rust fungi spend about a year and half on certain junipers (in the Cupressaceae family) before microscopic spores of the fungus oozing from galls on the juniper blow in the spring to certain genera in the Rosaceae family such as hawthorns and apples and crabapples.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Jack-o'-Lantern Mushrooms

  I was driving home the other day, and on a bank, under an oak tree, there were some electrifyingly-orange mushrooms cascading down a small slope. BYGL-alert screamed out at me, so let’s take a look. Delightful as they looked to the eye, these would seem to be jack-o’-lantern mushrooms, probably Omphalotus olearius. This mushroom may cause serious gastric distress to those who partake. It is a reminder that you really need to get a positive identification before taking a chance on nature gone wild.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield
Curtis E. Young

Mantids are Lurking

This is the time of the year when it seems that praying mantids are everywhere.  I collected this mantid today from our window screen.  However, the perception that there are more mantids at this time of the season is based on the size of the mantids, not total numbers.
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Joe Boggs

Tree of the Week: Seven-Son Flower

 The months-long florescent reign of seven-son flower, Heptacodium miconoides, is about to begin. The common name of this small tree (will grow to 15-20 feet or more) comes from the candelabra-like seven-pronged flower stalks.

  In northern Ohio the fragrant white flower petals are just now emerging from flower buds. After several weeks to a month the white petals, together called the corollas, will give way to a month or more of ripening ornamental salmon-pink sepals, the floral envelope behind the petal collectively called the calyces. It is a great sight against a blue...

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Jim Chatfield

Big Wheel Bugs are Rolling Along

Wheel bugs (Arilus cristatus) have completed their development and adults of these large, unusual looking bugs are now lurking 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.
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Joe Boggs

Diagnostics: Canker on Heptacodium

  Today I met with OSU horticultural great Kenny Cochran at his garden in Wooster and we enjoyed checking out everything from his sweet cherry tomatoes to the two-toned leaves of his silver linden tree. One plant which gave us concern was a seven-son flower tree (Heptacodium miconoides). More on the tree later in an upcoming Tree of the Week post, but some stem dieback amidst the just-coming-into-flower panicles is what got our attention. Shoots with brown leaves amidst perfectly healthy-looking shoots with green leaves. 

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

A Spider Encounter

I ran into this spider today; literally.  Not the very same spider.  I last saw that one scurrying away on the ground after dropping from the front of my shirt accompanied by some high-pitched sounds I didn't know I could make.  No doubt the mad spider would have also made noises - if it could - after I blundered through its beautifully constructed orb web.
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Joe Boggs

Woodland Plants of this Week: The Other Impatiens

   Two species of impatiens have carried on in eastern woodlands despite the roar of impatiens downy mildew on bedding impatiens in our landscapes.

There are some reports of their susceptibility to the downy mildew pathogen Plasmopara obducens, but it has not been reported on these species in Ohio. Woodland walkers are sure to recognize these other impatiens, though you may know them by other names, such as jewelweed or touch-me-nots. Their given Latin names are: Impatiens capensis, with orange flowers and Impatiens pallida, with pale yellow flowers....

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Jim Chatfield

Bagworms Tie One On.

As summer draws to an end, many insects and mites approach the end of their seasonal activities as well. Curtis Young reports that the majority of common bagworms (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) have finished their destructive feeding as caterpillars in their individual bags, have tied their bags to their host plant, and are pupating (pupa=3rd stage of their life cycle).
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Curtis E. Young

Leaf-Footed Bugs

Leaf-footed bugs (family Coreidae) are rife with discrepancies.  They are collectively so-named because of the leaf-like expansions of their hind tibia, not their "feet" which are called tarsi (tarsus singular) and are the leg segments they actually walk on. 
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Joe Boggs

Milkweed Bugs are Rampant

As common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) produces its signature spiny, oblong seed pods, milkweed bugs may show-up en mass to take advantage of the seed bounty. There are two species of bugs that feed on milkweed seed: the large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) and the small milkweed bug (Lygaeus kalmii).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Annual of the Week - Coleus

Coleus (Solenostemon scutellaroides) is a versatile foliage plant that is prized for it's brightly colored, boldly patterned leaves in shades of red, orange, yellow, green, pink, purple, and white.  Adding coleus to your landscape makes an excellent color accent in garden beds and borders. It can also be planted in containers, window boxes, and hanging baskets.
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Authors
Julie Crook

PERRENIAL OF THE WEEK: Purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)

Purple passionflower goes by several common names including true passionflower, wild passionflower, and wild passion vine as well as maypop and wild apricot which refer to the fruit.  This fast growing native perennial climbing/trailing vine sports two key features that should entice Ohio gardeners and landscape designers:  it produces beautifully complex eye-catching flowers that are 2 - 3" wide and it produces edible fruit.

 

...

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Authors
Joe Boggs

The Heart of Trees: Jaume Plensa at Toledo Museum of Art

If you find yourself in Toledo, Ohio before November 6, 2016, I recommend a visit to the Toledo Museum of Art to enjoy the Jaume Plensa: Human Landscape Exhibit.  Seven large outdoor sculptures, plus an indoor installation that includes a stainless steel curtain through which visitors can walk, will be on view through early November. 
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Amy Stone

Oak Wilt in NW Ohio

 

This summer, there have been several phone calls to the Extension office in Lucas County from concerned residents describing red oak trees declining quickly.  Many described their tree(s) exhibiting symptoms that one could suspect that oak wilt (Ceratocystis fagacearum) might be the cause.  The symptoms described included:  flagging of branches in the tree's canopy; withering of leaves that turn brown and ultimately drop before normal seasonal leaf drop; and rapid decline of the overall canopy - some describe it as happening "overnight".  Additionally,...

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Authors
Amy Stone
Nancy J. Taylor

NEW WOODLAND STEWARDS NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE ONLINE

The Ohio Woodland Stewards newsletter, Ohio Woodlands, Water and Wildlife, is produced three times a year.  It provides subcribers with updates on the latest issues related to woodland management, including insect and disease or invasive plant issues.  Articles are also geared towards expanding a readers knowledge base on a wide variety of topics related to our Ohio woodlands and the management and care of them.  Subscribers can access the newsletter online at any time.  When new issues are released it is available in either hard copy or electronic - just let us know which version...

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Authors
Amy Stone

Oak Itch Mites Attack!

Folks in Northeastern Ohio complain of itchy welts on their heads, neck and upper torso. The oak itch mite, Pyemotes herfsi, has been identified as the culprit.

The last time Ohio suffered an outbreak was in 2008 in the Cincinnati area. At that time, walkers, joggers and cyclists were complaining that when they followed trails that were overhung by oak trees, they would end up with itchy welts the following day. At that time, the oak itch mite had been recorded as being a periodic pest from Nebraska to Texas and eastward to Tennessee. The bites were most common in July and...

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Authors
Dave Shetlar

Clean Up Lace Bug Infestations now!

Lace bugs are persisting on many trees and shrubs! Consider controlling them to keep the adults from overwintering and repeating the damage next year!

I noticed several hawthorns this week that have been turned yellow by continual lace bug attack this summer. In fact, some trees are beginning to drop leaves. Upon looking closely, there were numerous adult lace bug still on the leaves. The undersurface of each leaf was coated with tar spots (the fecal spots produced by lace bugs), old egg shells and cast skins. Remember that the lace bug species that infest deciduous trees (i.e.,...

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Dave Shetlar

THE WEEKLY WEED: Canadian Horseweed (Conyza canadensis)

Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis, family Asteraceae) has become notorious in recent years for failing to respond to glyphosate (e.g. Roundup) in agricultural fields and landscapes.  This annual weed, which is also known as just horseweed, Canadian fleabane, coltstail, and marestail, has moved in recent years from being a plague in field crops to become a scourge in landscapes and nurseries.  Indeed, this native North America plant has become such a problem in Ohio it has been added to the state's noxious weeds list.

 

Challenges with managing this weed centers...

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Joe Boggs

Cryptomeria Scale (Fried-Egg Scale) Found in Southwest Ohio

Last week, Cindy Meyer (OSU Extension, Butler County) and I found Cryptomeria Scale (Aspidiotus cryptomeriae) on Canaan fir in a Christmas tree farm in southwest Ohio. The literature indicates this non-native armored scale may be found on the underside of needles on a wide range of conifers including true firs (Abies spp.), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziensii), hemlocks (Tsuga spp.), spruces (Picea spp.), and perhaps other conifers as well as Taxus (Taxus spp.).  However, it appears that cryptomeria scale has a distinct preference for...

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Joe Boggs
Cindy Meyer

Shrub of the Week: Chinese Leptodermis

{This Shrub of the Week article and its photos are from Paul Snyder of OSU's Secrest Arboretum at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster.}

  Have you ever had someone come to you looking for a particular plant, and then begin listing all the characteristics they are looking for? “It needs to be dwarf, have lots of flowers all summer, not be messy, and it can’t have thorns…” We have all been there, and we have all thought “With all those requirements you can’t really grow anything but perhaps poison ivy.”

  We often receive questions like this at...

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Jim Chatfield

Tree of the Week: Three-Flowered Maple

  The three-flowered maple continues to grow and thrive in my backyard and the more I see it planted at the Secrest Arboretum in Wooster, at the High Line Park in New York City, and elsewhere, the more I enjoy this tree. This Asian maple will become a small to medium-sized  tree (20-25 feet). Like its cousin paperbark maple, it has exfoliating bark but the bark is not as papery or with the cinnamon color of Acer griseum.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Pear Rust Revisited

  While walking in German Village in Columbus with ONLA’s Frits Risor last week we revisited the Callery pears with rust disease noted earlier this season (http://bygl.osu.edu/node/342). I wanted to see if the rust was isolated to the two trees heavily affected in June. As earlier, the two trees in question were speckled with bright orange lesions on the upper leaf surfaces, but I suspected that by now the rust fungus would have undergone sexual reproduction in the leaves with aecial spore pustules developing  on the lower leaf surfaces as would be seen with the cedar-apple rust fungus (...

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Jim Chatfield

Smorgas-gourd

  “I am ignorant of almost everything” is a favorite saying of mine, and truth be told it is an obvious truth for us all. It is what makes us so lucky to be plant lovers, since we are reminded with the new personal and universal discoveries of Nature every single day.  Know-it-alls need not apply for attendance at Nature’s banquets – though they might learn the most.  One of my recent revelations of a horticultural bent was about – gourds.  I have seen them, and have a vague sense that they are cucurbits, that is that they are in the Cucurbitaceae, the family that also includes...

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Jim Chatfield

Red-Spotted Purple

Look closely at woodland edges and you may see a flicker of iridescent blues accented with splashes of red; the calling card of a red-spotted purple butterfly (Limenitis arthemis astyanax).  The red-spotted purple is so named because of its overall purple hue and for the red to orangish-red spots on the underside of the wings.
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Joe Boggs

Wee Beasties

  During the course of this summer a number of beasts of various sizes have passed by my lens. These often turn into bygl-alerts, for example 17-year cicadas and monarch butterflies. A few have not qualified – until now. Here are just a few beauties of the summer bestiary.
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Jim Chatfield

Tar Spots of Maple

  Tar spots of maple, caused by species of the Rhytisma fungus, are prominent now, although mostly not as severe as in wetter summers. There are two different tar spot diseases of maple, one affecting silver and red maples, caused by Rhytisma acerinum, resulting in dense, tarry spots that truly reflect the “tar” spot name (first picture below).
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Jim Chatfield

Yes, We Have The Bananas

  I have marveled this summer about the impact of modern petunias in hanging baskets, planters, and planting beds in communities in Ohio and elsewhere. When I talk to landscapers such as Gene Pouly in Orrville about these petunias, they agree that petunias are indeed a boon to these sites, but they almost always add that there can be so much more to urban plantings. So, here is one of Gene’s planters, with the range of additional plants he uses outside Smith Dairy in Orrville, Ohio.  

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Slime Mold Sighting

  While walking about the other day I came upon a scene of serial sliming. A slime mold, probably a species of Mucilaga, was colonizing mulch under a maple tree. It was also colonizing a fallen maple leaf. It was also colonizing turfgrass plants next to the mulched area. This cohort of the colonized should tell us something: this slime mold is not very particular. It is not a parasite of this maple leaf or the turfgrass, but is just feeding on microbes in the decayed organic matter.  So no harm, no foul, relative to the need for controls. Just rake it or wash it off if it offends...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield
Curtis E. Young

Lace Bug Damage Very Evident Throughout Ohio

Extensioneers throughout Ohio have reported high lace bug populations this season.  It is speculated these small sucking insects may have benefited from hot, dry conditions that may be coming to an end; for now.  The most obvious lace bugs include:  basswood lace bug (Gargaphia tiliae), hawthorn lace bug (Corythucha cydoniae), oak lace bug (C. arcuata), and sycamore lace bug (C. incurvata).

 

These lace bug species live on the undersides of leaves where they use their piercing/sucking mouth parts to suck juices from their host plants.  As...

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Joe Boggs

A Tomato A Day - Live Smart Ohio Blog

Extension is an educational resource like no other.  If you are a BYGL reader, you already are familiar with the horticulture related information that Ohioans, and beyond, have access to via the timely BYGL alerts,  the weekly BYGL summaries, and of course the BYGL website.  Sometimes there are topics that clearly overlap in our program areas and provide an opportunity for cross programmatic planning and promotion of the four Extension program areas:  Agriculture and Natural Resources (which includes horticulture); Community Development; 4-H Youth Development; and Family Consumer Sciences...

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Amy Stone

Tree Of The Week: Let Us Take A Look

  This week let us do some sleuthing. I came upon this tree yesterday in Orrville, Ohio in the Smucker’s Fitness Walk path. The leaf told me something, but first, let us look at the tell-tale terminal buds: clustered. 

  This is typical of oaks, the genus Quercus.  

  And the leaves obviously suggest oak-hood, in this case with rounded lobes without a bristle tip, thus the…

  White oak group

  Oaks in the white oak group tend to hybridize freely, unlike with the black or red oak group (pin oaks, black oaks, scarlet...

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Jim Chatfield

Shrub of the Week: David's Mountainlaurel

{This post was written and images provided by Joe Cochran, curator of OSU’s Secrest Arboretum at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at Wooster; end note from Jim Chatfield}

  Sophora davidii, David’s mountainlaurel or David’s pagoda tree, formerly known as  S. viciifolia, is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub from the Sichuan region of China. It was discovered by the Jesuit missionary, Jean Pierre Armand David (1826-1900). Among his many plant discoveries, Père David is also known for introducing to the West, the giant panda. It was in this same...

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Jim Chatfield

What is the Threat from Stinging Caterpillars?

The vast majority of lepidopteron (moths and butterflies) caterpillars, even many with hairs, do not present a threat.  However, there are some with hairs that are modified for defense.  These are collectively called urticating hairs from the Latin urtica meaning "nettle."  Indeed, the hairs on stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), which are called trichomes; provide a good model for the venom injecting mechanism used by some of the more serious urticating hairs found on caterpillars.

 

...

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Joe Boggs

Beneficial of the Week: THe Dull Roar Effect

  The importance of beneficial insects and mites is often missed.  Until they are missed. We learned this years ago when “cover sprays” that included multiple pesticides in a “cocktail” were used repeatedly in hopes of controlling a range of pests, but had the unintended consequence of reducing or eliminating beneficial insect, mite, and spider species. 

Without these beneficials, we created monsters such as spider mite infestations on burningbush euonymus, that were much worse when cover sprays reduced beneficials.  We lost the “dull roar” effect of these beneficials that, while...

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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

The Reddened Rose of Texas

“Rose rosette is an epidemic, and North Texas is the epicenter,” said David Forehand of the Dallas Arboretum: “This is a game changer for roses, I’m sad to say.” This was in a July article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram by Sara Bahari, reflecting the anguish felt by Texans regarding the demise of so many of their beloved rose gardens.
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Jim Chatfield

Beneficial Insects: Wool Carder Bees

Wool carder bees in the genus Anthidium are a beneficial pollinator that may be less familiar to pollinator-promoters than honeybees or bumblebees, but they are well-worth knowing!

 

This little bee is full of determination.  Female wool carder bees collect wooly material to line their nests.  To do this, she uses her mandibles to scrape fuzzy trichomes from pubescent leaves, especially lambs ear.  This scraping motion is reminiscent of a time when wool would be combed or "carded" to straighten the fibers.  While she toils away collecting soft, fuzzy things for her...

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Ashley Kulhanek

Perennial of the Week: Rattlesnake Master

No snake charmers here, just a native perennial that is worth a try in a garden as a tall statement piece for pollinators!

 

Rattlesnake Master is full of surprises.  It looks like it belongs in a desert, but it is actually a native prairie plant that grows well in the midwest.  While its basal foliage resembles that of a yucca (lily family), it is actually a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae.  It's flowers are a pollinator dream and its height adds something unique to the garden.  

 

The plant begins with prickly, stiff basal foliage.  The bluish-green...

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Ashley Kulhanek

Great Golden Digger Wasp: The Other Soil Burrower

Great Golden Digger Wasps (Sphex ichneumoneus) rival Cicada Killer Wasps (Sphecius speciosus) in size, soil excavating capacity, and heavy lifting.  In fact, research on the foraging capacity of the Golden Digger showed this wasp's heavy lifting capacity exceeded that of the Cicada Killer; it was significantly higher than 15 other hymenopteran heavy lifters.*  Yet, when most people think of big wasp bombers, they think of the Cicada Killer.  That's because Cicada Killers occur in larger numbers and their nesting habits often place them in conflict with people.  Golden...

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Joe Boggs

Ailanthus Webworm Nests

Ailanthus Webworms (Atteva aurea) feed exclusively on the non-native, highly invasive, misleadingly named Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima).  They are the larval (caterpillar) stage of a beautiful ermine moth (Family Yponomeutidae).  In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful moths found in Ohio.  Multiple overlapping generations occur each season so it is common to find both moths and caterpillars active at the same time.  Indeed, I took pictures posted with this report of the moth on stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida) the same day that I took shots of...

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Joe Boggs

Robbers are on the Wing!

One of my favorite insects is the Red-Footed Cannibalfly (Promachus rufipes) which is a type of robber fly (family Asilidae).  Few carnivorous insects can match the amazing acrobatics and predatory proficiency of robber flies in their pursuit of prey.  Adults of all species are predators and they will attack a variety of insects; even "armed" prey and insects much larger than their own body size.  One of the appropriately named Hanging Thief Robber Flies (Diogmites spp.) pictured below is chowing down on a yellowjacket.  There are over a thousand species of robber flies...

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Joe Boggs

New OSU FactSheet Online - Viburnum Leaf Beetle (VLB)

There is a new Ohio State University Extension FactSheet that you must check out.  The FactSheet covers the Viburnum Leaf Beetle, an invasive species from Europe and Asia.  Curtis Young, Extension Educator in VanWert County, authored this FactSheet that can be found online at http://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-39

 

The FactSheet includes information on:  Host Plants; VLB Identification; VLB Life Cycle and Plant Injury; Management Strategies; and VLB Spread. 

 

While this insect was first discovered in...

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Amy Stone

Caladiscopic Majesty

  Years ago, OSU Agriculture College Dean Bobby Moser wanted the Ag Quad next to Howlett and Kottman Halls to be planted so that football fans would not park cars there on fall Saturdays. The solution, led by Professor Claudio Pasian may be seen in all its colors and textures now with the OSU Extension Horticulture Trial Gardens. One of the many standouts of those trials that I noted last week were a range of cultivars of Caladium. Hearts and arrows of patterned and freckled leaves of intense colors, about 18 inches tall and wide. Wow: ‘Fiesta’ and “Burning Heart’. ‘Pearl’ and ‘...

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Jim Chatfield

Annual of the Week: Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'

Euphorbia is a genus in the family Euphorbiaceae; however, not all Euphorbia are equal.  Sometimes, the genes that support a plants demotion to weed status such as the ability to thrive in high heat and drought may be coaxed through hybridization to produce well-behaved, highly prized landscape plants.  Such is the case with Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'.  This is a very tough plant that not only survives the dog-days of summer; but thrives!  All the while, the naturally mounded plants continue to be topped with clouds of delicate white flowers.

 

...

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Joe Boggs

Weekly Weed: Spurge

Two types of spurge belonging to the genus, Euphorbia (family Euphorbiaceae), may become a problem at this time of the year in landscapes and turfgrass.  These are prostrate spurge (E. prostrata) and spotted spurge (E. maculata).  Both are summer annuals meaning that they develop throughout the growing season and produce seeds in late summer to early fall.  Both may flourish by lack of competition presented by poorly maintained or drought stressed turfgrass, or by the lack of weed suppression through poor mulching practices in landscapes.

 

...

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Joe Boggs

Woody of the Week - Rising Sun Redbud

Cercis canadensis Rising Sun™ is a brilliantly colored selection of the eastern redbud.  Its newly emerging foliage in the spring is shades of apricot-orange, maturing to yellow, turning to speckled lime-green in summer, and then changing to rich golden tones for autumn.  Its foliage lights up a garden and is a real eye catcher. 

 

Prior to leafing out in the spring, lavender pea-like flowers open along the trunk and branches lasting for several weeks. The heart shaped leaves follow the not only beautiful, but edible flowers too.  If you have not tried redbud...

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Amy Stone

Perennial of the Week: Mountain Mint

Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) is blooming now and is covered with a spectacular variety of butterflies, bees, and wasps.  This plant is also called short-toothed mountain mint or clustered mountain mint.  It is a clump-forming perennial that typically grows 2 - 3’ tall. It is native to Ohio where it typically grows in grassy open places, meadows, fields, and woodland areas.

This plant was used by Native Americans for the treatment of fevers, colds, stomach aches, and other minor physical ailments. Mountain Mint is easily grown in full sun to part shade with moist to...

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Julie Crook

Diagnosis: The Fire Not This Time

  While driving through Mahoning County in northeast Ohio this weekend I stopped to take some pictures of what looked to be fireblight on crabapple (Malus). About a foot of the new growth on the crabapple had died back, with browned leaves attached. As noted in previous bygl-alerts, bacterial fireblight caused by Erwinia amylovora is a common problem on crabapples and apples and other genera in the Rosaceae, such as Sorbus (mountainash), Cotoneaster, Pyracantha, and Pyrus (Callery and fruiting pears). As I looked a little closer, though, I...

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Jim Chatfield

September 9: 83rd Ohio Plant Diagnostic Workshop

  Hey, where have I been? What happened to the 82nd Workshop, scheduled in Wooster on September 9? Well, we are so enmeshed in “all diagnostics – all the  time” that we have already migrated to #83. Just last Friday there were 70+ Woodland Stewards in Mansfield, Joe Boggs continues his BYGLive! Diagnostic Workshops in southwest Ohio each month (coming as well to central Ohio next year), bygl-alerts are constantly talking diagnostics, and on and on. But you can never get enough diagnostic training and perspectives, as we realize every time we go outside or check out another new website....

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Jim Chatfield

Shrub of the Week: 'Phantom' Hydrangea

{This bygl-alert is from Joe Cochran, Director of OSU’s Secrest Arboretum. We will soon get his name in the alert author listings.}

  Introduced by Pieter Zwinenburg, Boskoop, Netherlands in 1990, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Phantom’, in my opinion, is one of the best panicle hydrangeas on the market.  The name ‘Phantom’ comes from the pristine, white blossoms that adorn this plant. In June, the inflorescences begin as lime-green, transitioning to a creamy-white and by July have developed into massive, pure white flower clusters. These panicles, up to 15 inches long, are quite...

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Jim Chatfield

Turnabout is Fair Prey

Some of my best photographs were totally unplanned; a nod to the adage, "it's better to be lucky than good."  During today's S.W. Ohio Diagnostic Walk-About, I was photographing paper wasps and mud dauber nests under the walkway leading to the Tree House when I saw a dark blue wasp saunter into a spider web.  It seemed odd; was the wasp committing insecticide?  The drama was unfolding 6 - 7 ft. from my camera lens, so I couldn't see details.

 

The true story emerged when I processed the image on my computer.  The wasp wasn't becoming the spider's prey; it was the other way...

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Joe Boggs

Important Gypsy Moth Info!

While the feeding damage of gypsy moth caterpillars has been done for some time, the egg masses that are present now can predict what the future holds and what populations are expected to do in 2017.  Egg masses laid this year are tan and felt-like in appearance (upper egg mass in the photo).  Older egg masses are faded and much lighter in color and appear weathered (lower egg mass in the photo). 

 

If you are interested in learning more about the Ohio Department of Agriculture's (ODA) Gypsy Moth Suppression Program check out their website at...

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Amy Stone

Annual of the Week: Portulaca (Moss Rose)

Portulaca has become my re-discovered, new favorite annual flowering plant.  My wife sowed seed six years ago in our Portulaca-planter shown in this photo; it hasn't been re-seeded or re-planted since.  The planter is setting on our driveway with a southern exposure and gets watered when I think of it which isn't very often.  Over the past four weeks, we've had inconsistent rainfall at our home and day after day of 85 F. or better; many days in the 90s.  The plants are thriving and have never looked better!

 

...

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Joe Boggs

2016 Ohio Local Foods Week

Information for this post was provided by OSU Extension Educators Patrice Powers-Barker and Heather Neikirk, Co-Leaders of the OSU Extension Local Foods Signature Program. 

 

Join Ohioans from across the state in a celebration of local foods August 7-13, 2016. OSU Extension educators are working with communities to showcase their local food producers through special events and educational programs.

 

Why Ohio Local Foods Week?

  • Agriculture is Ohio’s number one industry contributing jobs for one in seven Ohioans, and more...
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Amy Stone

Sneak A Zucchini On A Neighbor's Porch

If you have ever grown zucchini, you know that it can be pretty prolific.  There are usually summer days that you could eat it at every meal - and there would still be extras.  So what to do with all the excess?  Why not share it with neighbors, friends, family, or others in your community in need. 

 

Here is a fun way to start the sharing.  August 8 is National Sneak A Zucchini On Your Neighbor's Porch.  Have you ever celebrated?  Don't let another year go by without participating.  Although the day says "porch," but why not try desk or office?  Extra produce can also be...

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Amy Stone

Redheads in Southwest Ohio

Southern and central Ohio do not appear to be experiencing an "outbreak" of our native fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) this season.  However, I'm seeing some relatively high localized populations and this lead to a surprising discovery of red-headed webworms in southwest Ohio.
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Joe Boggs

Tree of the Week: RIver BIrch

  In choosing river birch (Betula nigra), it is perhaps wishful thinking or imagining a more moderate summer, since as this tree’s name suggests droughty conditions are not preferred. River birch will survive our dry summer throughout much of Ohio this year, but leaf drop and poor color now in some cases reminds us to plant it in sites that provide moist, well-drained, acid soils with plenty of organic matter.   

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Spittlebug on Walnut and Frothy Thinking

I posted a BYGL Alert! about spittlebugs on hackberry ("Odd Spittlebug on Hackberry") yesterday.  I could have added another odd spittlebug to the post - and solved an old misconception - had I waited until later in the day to write the report.  Yesterday afternoon I came across the tell-tale frothy masses of a spittlebug on black walnut (Juglans nigra) while hiking around Miami Whitewater Forest - Great Parks of Hamilton County.  The spittle-masses were located on the twigs and in the leaf axils.  Oddly, the consistency of the froth was much like the spittle-masses...

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Joe Boggs

Diagnosis: Broad Mites on Hydrangea

  I visited a nursery this past Thursday morning. Problem: Unidentified damage on hydrangea liners - severe leaf distortion and plant stunting, resembling herbicide injury, but this hypothesis made no sense given grower expertise and practices and the spatial relationship of affected plants. The picture above illustrates the difference between normal and affected hydrangeas. One mistake I made: I did not take out my hand lens.  Left samples at OSU-Plant Pathology by Thursday afternoon.

Diagnosis: Received e-mailed results from...

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Jim Chatfield

Odd Spittlebug on Hackberry

During Wednesday's diagnostic walk-about in Shawnee Lookout - Great Parks of Hamilton County, Kathy Smith (OSU Extension Program Director - Forestry), spotted an unusual spittlebug on common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis).  The spittlebug nymphs were confined to the stems of the fruit (drupe); we could find none feeding anywhere else on two heavily infested trees.
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Joe Boggs
Kathy Smith

Yellownecked Caterpillars Rear Their Heads and Other End

Thanks to the sharp eyes of Lenny Farlee (Extension Forester, Purdue University), the congregated yellownecked caterpillar (Datana ministra) colony shown in this picture was discovered yesterday during a diagnostic walk-about he, Kathy Smith (OSU Extension Program Director - Forestry), and I lead in Shawnee Lookout Park in southwest Ohio.  You may recognize the genus, Datana, because we've had a bumper crop of walnut caterpillars (D. integerrima) this season (see Alert on July 15, 2016, "Walnut Caterpillars on the Prowl").

 

...

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Joe Boggs

NEW OSU Extension Soil Testing Fact Sheet

What is causing the odd leaf chlorosis on this red maple?  Regardless of what you think is causing the symptom, it's only a guess unless you soil test.  Soil tests provide you with information that serves the same purposes as the information that blood tests provide to physicians:  soil tests are like a blood test for the soil.
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Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield
Cindy Meyer

Elm Yellows: The Re-Emergence of an Old Killer

Jim Chatfield and I visited the USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station, in Delaware, OH, on Monday where they are waging a battle to eliminate Elm Yellows (EY) from their American Elm Restoration Project research plots.  I last saw the disease in southwest Ohio in 2013. 

The problem is that American elms (Ulmus americana) that are resistant to Dutch Elm Disease (DED) have no known resistance to Elm Yellows (EY).  DED is caused by a fungal infection; EY is caused by a phytoplasma which is a type of bacterium.  DED fungi plug the xylem.  The EY phytoplasma...

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Authors
Joe Boggs
Jim Chatfield

One Month Early! Gray Leaf Spot on Perennial Ryegrass Alert

Gray Leaf Spot has been confirmed on perennial ryegrass in Ohio! On Friday July 29, 2016 two cases of the disease were confirmed in the Clinic. This is at least a month earlier than normally detected in Ohio. Both cases were in central Ohio and at sites that have had a history of the disease. This can be a very destructive disease to ryegrass, both annual and perennial. To date this is only a serious disease on ryegrasses in the Midwest.
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Nancy J. Taylor

A Mitey Big Disaster

Often, one of the typical options offered when attempting to control an identified pest, is to simply do nothing!  In this year of extremely hot, dry conditions in NE Ohio, deciding to not do anything about a pest, turned into a disaster.  The pest involved was the two-spotted spider mite, which was happily feeding on tomatoes growing in a high tunnel.

 

...
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Erik Draper

Joe-Pye Weed

Many people think Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum)is nothing more than a roadside weed and have never taken in to consideration its outstanding ornamental characteristics.  It is a large plant which needs space, but when planted in mass it can provide exceptional flowering and provide height when needed in the landscape.
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Julie Crook

Lily Has Everyone Seeing Stars

Every year in NE Ohio at the Drapescape, my wife and I anticipate being able to sit out on our deck and gaze upon the stars in the middle of the day.  How is this possible you ask?  Easily answered.  Because we are both enjoying the emergence of our favorite oriental hybrid lily, which is in bloom right now, called Lilium orientalis ‘Stargazer’ or commonly known as the Stargazer lily.

 

...
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Erik Draper

Emerald Ash Borer Update

 

While on our BYGL Conference Call earlier today, I received the monthly Emerald Ash Borer email update which includes a map that includes the latest changes of EAB detections in North America.  A shout out to Douglas Bopp, GIS Support Northeast Area with USDA APHIS PPQ who regularly sends this information out to communicate the latest information. 

 

Changes and/or additions included in this map since the July 1, 2016 map are as follows: The addition of initial county detections in: Vanderburgh County, IN; Harrison, Van Buren and Washington Counties,...

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Amy Stone

Hibiscus Hyperventilation!

As I was driving through a local neighborhood this morning, I stopped at a stop sign and as I started to pull through the intersection, I saw massive, pink blooms that had me hyperventilating!  The sun was just at the right angle that the Hibiscus moscheutos (a.k.a. Hardy Hibiscus, Rose or Swamp Mallow), just popped out of a drab seeming lifeless, dry landscape!  I couldn’t resist that vibrant splash of color so I had to drive around the block, park, walk nonchalantly along the sidewalk and then casually slip into the yard to get a picture, without getting bitten by a dog!

...
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Erik Draper

Spider Mite Problems Just Keep Coming!

While finally getting around to mulching my perennial beds this weekend, I noticed more spider mite damage on one of my species of Hosta. I am not sure which cultivar it is as it's one that was handed down from generation to generation. i love it because it has beautiful fragrant flowers, but this weekend the foliage was looking a little rough and spotted.
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Pam Bennett

Milkweeds: Asclepias and Asclepius

  I was moved by my friend Joe Boggs post about oleander aphids on milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) to add a little to the mix, mainly because I wrote earlier about butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and because I took a number of pictures of milkweeds in the past few weeks and in previous years. They are quite beautiful with their reflexed corolla (group of petals) and elaborate horn and hood structures, their silky fibers (coma) used for life preserver flotation in World War II and pillows and comforters today, and for their relationship with Monarch butterflies.

 ...

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Jim Chatfield

The Right Thing To The Root

A tree's leaves may be ever so good,

So may its bark, so may its wood;

 

  I picture right now my colleague Joe Boggs trying to relax on this Sunday afternoon as I add this bygl-alert, casually opening the post, and as he reads through it, realizes that I am baiting him to elaborate upon this short teaser. He is the lead author and chief champion of the newly updated “Soil Testing for Ohio Lawns, Landscapes, Fruit Crops, and Vegetable Gardens” Fact Sheet that is now available online from OSU Extension at:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/...

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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

Diagnostic Double-Take: Scorch or Scab

  Last Friday, outside our bank in Orrville, Ohio, I espied a crabapple tree with a carpet of brown leaves underneath the tree. On first glance, I imagined this to be due to leaf scorch and then leaf drop due to recent dry weather. After all, we are almost eight inches below normal over the past three months in many northeast Ohio areas. Made sense. I was simply following Question #4 of the 20 Questions of Plant Diagnostics: What Do You See That Looks Abnormal?
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Jim Chatfield

Yellowjackets are Buzzing

Yellowjackets (Vespula spp. and Dolichovespula spp.) are beneficial insects.  Just keep repeating that to yourself when you're chased or stung by these yellow and black marauders!  Yellowjackets have actually been with us since the beginning of the season.  Each nest was started by a single overwintered queen.  However, this is the time of the season when the ever-expanding nests contain enough individuals for yellowjackets to start making their presence known … sometimes painfully.

 

All species of yellowjackets in Ohio build circular to oblong...

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Joe Boggs

Aphids Spoiling Monarch Milkweeds

During yesterday's OSU Master Gardener Volunteer Diagnostic Workshop in Licking County, OH, one of the participants asked about the hordes of yellow aphids sucking juices from common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) reserved for monarch butterfly caterpillars.  These are oleander aphids (Aphis nerii) and their appearance reminds us that nature makes no food reservations.

 

...

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Joe Boggs

Tree of the Week: Sassafras

  Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a lovely native woodland tree which is used more and more in landscaping. It is typically a medium-sized tree up to 30-50 feet in height but the national champion in Kentucky exceeds 100 feet. Leaves are variable, some entire, some mitten-liked and two-lobed, some three-lobed. Fall color can range from attractive yellows to yellow-orange, especially effective as a grove of sassafras trees.

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Jim Chatfield

Ghostly Ericoid

John Muir wrote: “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” This is certainly true of so much of what we see as horticulturists and plant lovers, from insects that induce plants to turn genes on and off and thus produce galls, to the cedar apple rust fungus that traverses its two-year life cycle in obligatory cycling between junipers and rosaceous plants.
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Jim Chatfield

What Is In My Bluebird House??

Despite the name 'bluebird house', eastern bluebirds are not the only species that call those little wooden boxes home. Bluebird houses (hereafter called bluebird nest boxes) are also used by tree swallows, chickadees, house wrens, and house sparrows. All of the aforementioned species are cavity nesters, meaning they build their nests in cavities, whether naturally occurring (in trees) or man-made (in nest boxes).
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Marne Titchenell

Cedar Quince Rust Rages

  Christmas In July: Some hawthorns these past two weeks are sporting little orange sherbet-colored aecial spore masses of the cedar quince rust fungus (Gymnosporangium clavipes), pushing out from the haws. I am receiving many calls about this and, Frits Rizor, the Executive Director of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, even sent me a text and image the other day – we are all plant pathologists!

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Jim Chatfield

Insects Need Water Too!

A homeowner called the Extension office after noticing bees or yellow jackets were repeatedly visiting a small koi pond in the yard.  What was going on?  Well, insects, like all of us, need water too!  

Many insects receive water from nectar or via their prey, but honeybees, bumblebees, wasps, and many other insects visit dewy leaves, mud puddles, bird baths, pools, pet water bowls, or even decorative koi ponds to refuel their H2O needs, especially in hot, dry weather.  Bees can use water to regulate humidity in the hive and for evaporative cooling. Butterflies are often seen...

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Ashley Kulhanek

Beetles on the Potatoes in the Garden

While out looking at an oak tree earlier today in Lucas County, the property owner asked if I wanted to see his vegetable gardens - YES gardens!  Corn, tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, potatoes and more! 

 

The potatoes where being hit pretty hard by the feeding of the Colorado potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) - both the adult and the larvae were present.  

 

The homeowner had been hand picking but losing the battle so I joined in for a bit.  There were many more eating to their hearts content in his several rows as he continued to "take...

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Amy Stone

Flatlining Linden

  I was walking down the street in Warrenton, Virginia, it was such a fine sight to see,,,Well, not so much for a linden street tree. It was in fact a fine blue-sky day, but backlit against that sky, the leaves of this linden displayed serious leaf scorch along the outer portions of what should have been deep green leaves. The tree itself was not thriving, annual growth was poor, and the leaves looked as parched as the 95 degree southern day. The culprit? The trunk had a completely flat trunk where it entered the soil. This is suggestive of a stem-girdling root that is restricting...

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Jim Chatfield

Leaves of Three - Just Let it Be!

 

While people vary in their sensitivity to poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), repeat exposure to the oily resin called urushiol that is found in all parts of the plant, can sometimes increase a person's sensitivity over time.  

 

Poison ivy is a very prolific plant and can be found almost anywhere.  It is common to see this plant along roadsides, along fence lines, in the woods, at forest edges, and even in the landscape.  A reason for this wide distribution is that fruit is eaten by wildlife like birds and deer.  It is documented that over 60 species of...

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Amy Stone

The Ins and Outs of Bagworms

  The title of this bygl-alert is actually a bit disingenuous, since Dave Shetlar, Joe Boggs, and Curtis Young, entomologists all, are better equipped on the ins and outs of Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis, the common bagworm, compared to me, a plant pathologist. The Latin binomial itself makes me a bit crazy, which I guess makes sense, since the family (group of related genera) for the common bagworm is – Psychidae. The actual ins and outs in this case actually refers to what my wife and I saw at a central Pennsylvania rest area this weekend.  There were numerous...

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Jim Chatfield

Keep a Lookout for Porcelain-Berry

Porcelain-berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) is a deciduous, woody, perennial vine native to Northeast Asia. The leaves are alternate, simple 2 ½ to 5" long and wide with a heart-shaped base and 3 to 5 palmate lobes.  The inconspicuous flowers are green-white and appear in June through August.  The colorful grape-like fruits mature from September to October changing from pale lilac, to green to a bright blue.  

Porcelain-berry grows and spreads quickly in partial to full sunlight.  This vigorous invader grows well in moist soils and can often be found along ponds, stream banks and...

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Julie Crook

Squiggly Lines on Magnolia Leaves

The highly visible handiwork of the magnolia serpentine leafmining caterpillar (Phyllocnistis magnoliella) is becoming evident magnolias in nurseries and landscapes in southern Ohio.  The moth belongs to the leafmining family Gracillariidae.  The tiny caterpillars of this aptly named moth feed close to the upper leaf epidermis, producing long, thin, serpentine mines that appear as silvery tracks snaking across the leaf surface.

 

Hosts for this leafminer include bigleaf, cucumber, southern, star, sweet bay, and umbrella magnolias.  Large numbers of mines on a...

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Joe Boggs

Big Friendly Giant Caterpillars

Finding giant silkworm caterpillars (family Saturniidae) or observing the resulting giant moths was once a common occurrence.  Notable members of this moth family include Cecropia (Hyalophora Cecropia); Luna (Actias luna); Polyphemus (Antheraea polyphemus); Promethia (Callosamia promethean); and the impressively named Hickory Horned Devil (Citheronia regalis).

 

...

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Joe Boggs

Hidden Hornworms

While watering the two tomato plants in my great expectations garden, I noticed a few missing leaves and some black, barrel-shaped frass (insect excrement) beneath the plants. Certain I'd quickly find the hornworm culprits, I looked, and looked, and … I'm always amazed at how well these large caterpillars can remain hidden from our probing eyes!
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Joe Boggs

Cockscomb Galls on Elm

Look closely at the leaves of slippery elm (= red elm) (Ulmus rubra); you may be lucky enough to spot the unusual looking elm cockscomb galls produced by the so-called elm cockscomb aphid, Colopha ulmicola.  Although these galls are commonly mentioned in the literature, I've rarely seen them in southwest Ohio where elm sack galls produced by the aphid, Tetraneura ulmi, are the dominant aphid gall found on slippery elm.

 

...

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Joe Boggs

Wasp Pottery

I didn't need to travel far today to discover an entomological wonder.  Attached to my porch railing was a tiny, clay pot; the handiwork of a Potter Wasp (Eumenes sp.).   As their common name describes, potter wasps fashion small rounded jug-like nests out of clay, and they attach the nests to leaves, twigs, or to structures such as window seals or in my case, a porch railing.

 

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Joe Boggs

Liriodendron Leaf Yellowing

During the hot, dry conditions of summer, numerous trees will shed some of their leaves. A good example is tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera). I (think) I remember flying in from the Pacific Northwest in August one dry year and as we got close to landing, was able to pick out the tuliptrees due to their earlier than fall color yellow leaves interspersed on the tree among the more prevalent green.  

Today, I was walking in Wooster in northeast Ohio, and the ground was littered with fallen leaves of tuliptree.  It even seemed like some of them were sweating in the 90+...

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Jim Chatfield

Hot, Dry Conditions Reveal Fairy Rings

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued an Excessive Heat Warning today for Greater Cincinnati. This is the highest alert based on the NWS Heat Index. I believe anything higher would cause spontaneous human combustion. I made a quick BYGL Alert! photo trek and found that fairy rings are now being revealed by the current hot/dry conditions in southwest Ohio.
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Joe Boggs

82nd Ohio Plant Diagnostic Workshop

  From Dogwood diseases to doghouse damage, from beetlemania to bot rot, literally from Aster yellows to Zinnia powdery mildew, diagnostic workshops are where it’s at. Please come to Wooster in the late, late summer sun.  Samples galore and clinic catharsis, a few short talks, a diagnostic walkabout at Secrest Arboretum six years after the storm, the Secrest sound system blaring out Townes van Zandt, Johnny Cash, and Leadbelly. Yowser. Registration information is coming soon, but for now highlight with stars and multicolored magic markers, from the Ohio State University Extension...

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Jim Chatfield

Teasel Flower Heads are on the Rise

Cutleaf Teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus) and Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) are native to Eurasia and North Africa and were originally introduced into the U.S. in the 1700s for use in the textile industry; the prickly dried seed heads were used to raise the nap on fabrics.  Later introductions were for ornamental use with the persistent dried seed heads still used in flower arrangements. They are now found throughout the U.S. often creating havoc in naturalized areas.

 

...

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Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young

Flower Longhorn Beetles

True to their common name, Flower Longhorn Beetles (family Cerambycidae, subfamily Lepturinae) are found on flowers where they feed on pollen and nectar.  They have a particular affinity for the umbel flowers produced my members of the carrot/parsley/celery family (Apiaceae, formerly Umbelliferae).  I always look closely at Queen Anne's lace which is where I found the bachelor beetle shown at the beginning of this report and the cavorting couple shown below.  Flower longhorn beetles are considered plant pollinators although little is known of the extent of their impact.

 

...

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Joe Boggs

Pine Tube Moth

Individual Pine Tube Moth (Argyrotaenia pinatubana) caterpillars use silk to form a hollow tube by binding together 10 - 20 needles.  They then move up and down their silk-lined tube to feed on the tips of the bound needles.  Once they've almost eaten themselves (literally) out of house and home, the caterpillars will move to another set of needles to repeat their tube-making needle-feeding behavior.  The caterpillars eventually pupate within their needle tubes.

 

...

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Joe Boggs

Dogwood Powdery Mildew: Signs and Symptoms

Like many powdery mildew diseases, high relative humidity but not high rainfall is a key to dogwood powdery mildew, caused by the fungus Erysiphe pulchra. There is a good bit of this disease this year in northeast Ohio, which is quite dry, and yesterday I took a look at some flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida) growing in pots in trials. There was a good bit of fungal mycelial growth and spores en masse evident on the foliage (what is called the “sign” of the pathogen), which is something everyone is familiar with for many powdery mildew diseases. Good examples are lilac...

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Jim Chatfield

Maackia Madness: Two For One

  The 4th Question of Plant Problem Diagnostics (http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/floriculture/images/20_Questions_on_Plant_Diagnosis.pdf) is “What Do You See?” in terms of symptoms of plant damage. The 6th Question (after “What is the Overall Health?) is a return to the idea of symptoms with “What Exactly Do You See?” I was reminded of this the other day when looking at an Amur maackia tree in my backyard. The tree foliage is mostly above arms-length, but I could see that Japanese beetle flyers had no problem, munching with their chewing mouthparts, leaving sections of leaves partly...

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Jim Chatfield

Alert Reissued: Cicada Killers

I posted a BYGL Alert on July 20 regarding Cicada Killer Wasps (Sphecius speciosus) cruising lawns and landscapes in southwest Ohio.  However, since that time, I've been slammed with reports and questions concerning these "giant wasps."  So, I'm reissuing my cicada killer report; it appears there are some very heavy localized populations.

 

These large wasps are the nemesis of Dog-Day Cicadas (Tibicen spp.), so it is no coincidence that they appear on the scene when dog-day cicadas emerge.  Cicada killers are the largest wasps found in Ohio, measuring 1 1/...

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Joe Boggs

I Speak for the Milkweed Tussock Moth!

I came across early instar milkweed tussock moth caterpillars (Euchaetes egle) feeding on their namesake host yesterday and they reminded me of an e-mail message I received last year.  The message was from a well-meaning monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) enthusiast who asked how they could control tussock caterpillars so they wouldn't compete with monarchs.  I was aghast.  We celebrate the rejection of a monarchy each July 4! 

 

It can't be denied that milkweed tussock moth...

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Joe Boggs

Hen and Chicks ... Blooming?

Last week, as I was walking into the office one morning, I suddenly noticed what appeared to be a strange swelling coming up out of the center of one of the succulents, commonly called “hen and chicks” (Sempervivium spp.)  I decided to keep an eye on it as I passed daily since the plants were clustered at the sidewalk by the entrance. 

After a couple of days, it began to appear to me that it was going to be a stalk of some kind.  In rapt amazement, I watched as I saw flower buds form on that stalk, which was about 6” tall.  In all of my plant gawking years, I have never...

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Erik Draper

Birdsfoot Trefoil Foiling Landscapes and Naturalized Areas

Traveling through southwest Ohio this weekend, I noticed ever-expanding patches of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) along roadways, in landscapes, and in home and commercial lawns.  Yet another story of dueling plant cultivation interests.  This perennial, spreading, herbaceous legume is native to Europe and Asia.  It was introduced into North America for use as a forage crop harvested for hay or used in pastures.  Plants can survive and thrive in a wide range of soil and environmental conditions that would limit the use of other forage crops such as alfalfa.  Indeed, you...

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Joe Boggs

Strafing Horse Flies

While taking photos today of willow pinecone galls for a BYGL Alert, I was constantly strafed by a maniacal horse fly (Tananus spp.).  These hefty flies belong to the family Tabanidae which is the largest family of bloodsucking insects with over 4,500 horsefly species known worldwide.  There are several species in Ohio ranging in size from 3/8 - 1 1/8" in length.  The crazed fly buzzing me was T. abdominalis.  It doesn't have a common name other than #@%%# fly!  At least, that's what I called it.

 

...

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Joe Boggs

Weird Willow Gall

Arguably, one of the weirdest galls found in Ohio is produced on willow by the gall-midge, Rhabdophaga strobiloides (family Cecidomyiidae).  The gall's appearance isn't weird; it looks like a pine cone.  However, finding a "pine cone" on a willow is weird.  As the common name implies, the Willow Pinecone Gall, which is sometimes called the "pine cone willow gall," closely resembles a pine cone with closed seed scales.

 

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Joe Boggs

Foliage Foretells (F)all

  This spring I wrote of sour gum/black gum/tupelo/pepperidge (Nyssa sylvatica) when I noticed for the first time that I had a male tree (with stamens) and a female tree (with pistils) in my back field. Until then I thought of them as just two tupelos. Well, the bird-beloved result of their union have now resulted in greenish fruits which soon will be blue-purple. So, flowers, fruits, now a word about  – foliage. Tupelo leaves are wonderfully lustrous green in spring and summer before turning intense scarlets, oranges, and purples in fall. But, wait, the time has come, as every...

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Jim Chatfield

Cultivate Hydrangeas

  Hydrangea is a genus of great range and beauty. Panicle types such as PeeGee hydrangea. Mopheads. Climbing hydrangeas. Oakleaf hydrangeas of beautiful panicle flowers and wonderful fall foliage. Delicate pinks and blues, sometimes on the same plant. Electric colors to make a big splash. Hydrangeas were on display, revealing a high level of horticultural expertise at AmericanHort’s Cultivate’16 this past week as well as in the horticulturally laissez-faire world of the ChatScape, where my daughter Sara took a picture of the creams and pinks of an oakleaf hydrangea panicle today...

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Jim Chatfield

Japanese Beetle Centennial

  Japanese beetles on a linden leaf or on a rose leaf or flower - to this we are accustomed. On certain plants though, such as cut-leaf rhamnus or as shown here from Wooster, Ohio on dawnredwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides); somehow it seems like they do not have enough of a perch or dining area.  Perhaps it is the small-plates phenomenon. At any rate, the chewing-mouthparts damage here is quite familiar and Popillia japonica damage to the turf and ornamental industry is huge. In fact, a 2002 paper by Dan Potter and David Held of the University of Kentucky (Annu. Rev....

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Jim Chatfield

Petunias, Part Deux

Two weeks ago, I wrote a paean to petunias and how they liven up the street scene in Wooster Ohio. This week, I got a second dose while traversing the trade show floor at Cultivate’16, the summer festival of flowers and floricultural and all horticultural education put on by American Hort at the Columbus Convention Center.  There were of course many more attractions as well as petunias. Yet, this among many, all my life I have waited for flowers such as these. Below are just a few to whet your petunia palette with what is here now and with what is to come of new varieties.  Get thee to...

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Jim Chatfield

Queendom of the Spiders

The 1977 sci-fi movie, Kingdom of the Spiders, that stared William Shatner got it wrong.  Not with tapping Captain Kirk for the lead role, but with the movie's title:  with rare exceptions, only female spiders spin species-typical webs.  It's still a pretty good movie even with the 1970s era special effects.

 

Of course, the downside with such arachnophobic movies is what happens when movie viewers venture forth in the morning.  Ohioans may be surprised at the large number of spiders living near at hand when heavy morning dews accentuate their gossamer creations. ...

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Joe Boggs

Cypress Twig Galls Adorn Baldcypress

I came across the galling handiwork of the cypress twig gall midge fly (Taxodiomyia cupressiananassa) on baldcypress while on a photo-trek in southwest Ohio on Thursday.  These spongy, white galls were something of an oddity when I started with Extension 25 years ago.  However, for some reason that has changed with these galls becoming a common adornment on baldcypress.
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Joe Boggs

Walnut Caterpillars on the Prowl

Walnut caterpillars (Datana integerrima) are native insects meaning that year-to-year population densities are usually kept in check by predators, parasitoids, and pathogens (the 3-Ps).  However, we occasionally see "outbreak years" when caterpillar numbers surge ahead of the combined natural suppression provided by the 3-Ps.  I'm not suggesting we are experiencing an outbreak season, but walnut caterpillars are certainly not hard to find!  In fact, I've come across the characteristic patchy defoliation produced by colonies of these caterpillars on their namesake host in two...

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Joe Boggs

Elongate Hemlock Scale

The non-native Elongate Hemlock Scale (Fiorinia externa), which is sometimes called "Fiornia scale," occurs on the underside of needles and on cones.  It may infest its namesake host as well as on other conifers including firs, Douglas-fir, spruces, cedars, pines, and yews.  The scale was accidently introduced to the U.S. from Japan and was first found in New York, NY, in 1908.  Currently, it's found in much of the native range for eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and Carolina hemlock (T. caroliniana).  Where it overlaps with the non-native Hemlock Woolly...

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Joe Boggs

Yellowpoplar Weevil Damage on Magnolia

Yellowpoplar weevil adults  (Odontopus calceatus) causes feeding damage on tuliptree (yellow-poplar, tulip-poplar, tuliptree), magnolia and sassafras, resulting in holes in leaves, aptly described as resembling “curved rice grains” by many fact sheets, including an excellent one by the University of Kentucky. After adults mate in late spring, eggs hatch and larvae “mine” areas of the leaves, resulting in a scorched appearance of the new growth of the tree or shrub (certain magnolias). Although this damage is not considered important to plant health, it may significantly affect the...

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Jim Chatfield

Bloodsucking Conenose Found: Don't Panic!

I met Cindy Meyer at her OSU Extension, Butler County, office yesterday to take pictures of a bloodsucking conenose (Triatoma sanguisuga) that had been collected by a concerned homeowner.  This is the second time I've taken pictures of this "kissing bug" species in Ohio.  The first time was in 2010 when I found a specimen crawling on the outside of my home in Butler County.  According to a paper published in the Ohio Journal of Science in 1960 titled, "Arthropods of Medical Importance in Ohio," the bloodsucking conenose is found in southern Ohio.  So, finding the...

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Joe Boggs
Cindy Meyer

Diagnostic Walk-About Highlight: Mystery Solved

A mystery that has bedeviled me for several years was finally solved this past Monday thanks to participants in the Southwest Ohio BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About and my Walk-About partner, Julie Crook.  As I reported in my July 1, 2016, BYGL Alert! (Coneflower Calamities:  Round 1), Sunflower Head-Clipping Weevil (Haplorhynchites aeneus) females clip the flowers of coneflowers as well as members of the Silphium genus.  Indeed, the weevil is sometimes called the "Silphium weevil" owing to its strong association with plants in this genus.

...

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Joe Boggs

Dueling Insects on Oak Leaf

One of the challenges of plant problem diagnostics is that Nature is sometimes less tidy than we might wish. Pests do not confine their damage to plants one at a time, and also the different stages of an insect may cause different types of damage (symptoms).  Oak shothole leafminer (Agromyza viridula) adult flies damage oak leaf buds with their ovipositors. The holes from this damage expand as the leaf expands, causing the characteristically parallel holes on either side of the unfolding leaf.  Later larvae of this insect cause leaf-mining damage shown as browned areas in the...

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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

The Table is Set and the Birds are Feasting!

While spending some time earlier this week at Sharon Woods Metro Park, one of the Columbus and Franklin County's Metro Parks, I had the opportunity to capture some shots of a downy woodpecker flittering about in an small alder tree. I was playing around with a new camera and was 'zoomed' in rather far when as I took the pictures. It wasn't until I returned to the office that I realized the downy woodpecker was doing much more than 'flittering about". It was actually feasting on woolly alder aphids!

 

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Marne Titchenell

Got Bats in the Belfry? Here's What to Do!

March through September is the active time for bats in Ohio.  Ohio’s 11 species spend their summer hours like every other species in Ohio – feeding and reproducing.  There is no question Ohioans benefit from the feeding of bats – a single bat can consume over 1000 mosquito-sized insects in one night. 

The reproduction side of things however, can sometimes cause an issue…especially if the result is a colony of bats in the home.  Two Ohio bat species will commonly share living space with humans; the little brown bat and the big brown bat.  The females of both of these species form...

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Authors
Marne Titchenell

Turkey Tales

My wife and I live in the country in Wayne County in northeast Ohio, and enjoy the sights and sounds of wild-life.  Coyotes provide their weird series of moans, whistles, yips, and howls – truly cool.  Equally cool we have a turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hen and two poults that waltz through our yard periodically this summer. This is much to our delight, except for areas of the lawn (such as it is with our dry period this summer) that they ruffle up, presumably in their omnivorous belief that “We Have The Meat” (insects and millipedes) and vegetables (acorns, roots, almost...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Annual Dog-Day Cicada Emergence

Annual dog-day cicadas (Tibicen spp.; family Cicadidae) are emerging in southwest Ohio.  Like periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.; family Cicadidae), these cicadas also develop underground with the nymphs sucking juices from tree roots.  However, periodical cicadas require 13 or 17 years to complete their development with adults emerging en masse in the spring, usually beginning around mid-to-late May and ending in June.  Indeed, eastern Ohio, parts of West Virginia, and the extreme southwest part of Pennsylvania experienced the emergence of Brood V 17-year periodical...

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Joe Boggs

Annual Flaming of Black Locust Trees

This past Friday, I observed heavy damage on black locust caused by the locust leafminer beetle (Odontota dorsalis) along State Rt. 50 in Ross and Vinton Counties.  The captivating reddish-brown leaf coloration caused by this beetle is often a familiar sight to travelers motoring on Ohio's interstate highways.  Indeed, black locust may be identified at highway speeds because they are the "flamed" trees in the tree lines bordering the highway.

...

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Joe Boggs

Buzz-Bombing Beetles

I received a report over the weekend of Green June Beetles (Cotinus nitida) (GJB) buzzing a wedding in a park in southwest Ohio.  These large, metallic green beetles tend to emerge en masse.  Their large size, coupled with an audible "buzzing" sound, and low-level flight plan (cruising at about 2-3'), may induce panic with individuals unfamiliar with this insect.
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Joe Boggs

Periodical Cicada "Flagging:" Leaves at Tips of Branches are Turning Brown

Round 1 of the Periodical Cicada:

The emergence of Brood V of the 17-year periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) lived up to all expectations within the "cicada zone" in eastern Ohio, parts of West Virginia, and a very small part of southwest Pennsylvania.  Adults emerged in huge numbers, they climbed trees or flew to new trees, males serenaded cicada females with cacophonous songs only appreciated by the females, and mated females inserted eggs into stems.  The cicada adults are now dead and gone.

...

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Joe Boggs

Holy Heck Batman! What Happened to My Asters!!!!

I haven't been in my perennial garden for a few days so when I went in last night to do some weeding, I was shocked by the damage to my asters caused by the chrysanthemum lacebug.  Holy heck is a toned-down version of what I really said.  These lacebugs had totally obliterated the three plants (two different cultivars) in my beds.  My only option at this time is to cut them to the ground and hope we get enough rain to push new growth so that they bloom this year sometime before Christmas!  

 

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Pam Bennett

Are You Checking Your Arborvitaes (and other Evergreens) for Bagworms?

Have you looked closely at your arborvitaes and other bagworm-susceptible evergreens such as Juniper?  Bagworms are a little easier to see now as the needle clad "bags" are beginning to turn brown.  These caterpillars can creep up on you and strip a plant before you know it so keep your eyes out and regularly inspect.  I have been watching a nearby arborvitae and noticed that the bags on this particular plant in Clark County are anywhere from 1/4" to 1" in size.  As they get bigger, they are much easier to spot.  When bagworms first hatch, it's even a challenge to the untrained eye to find...

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Pam Bennett

Poison Hemlock Going to Seed

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is among the most deadly 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.

 

TOXICITY:

Poison hemlock is native to North Africa and Eurasia including Greece.  It's the plant behind Socrates' famous last words, "I drank what?"  Or, maybe it was, "don't try this at home."  Just kidding.  In fact, it was the plant used to poison...

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Joe Boggs

Ash Leaf Spot

There is no doubt that treatments with systemic insecticides can protect ash trees from the ravages of emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) (EAB).  However, insecticide treatments against EAB will not produce super ash trees.  Treated trees are still susceptible to a range of pest and disease problems that were observed on ash trees long before EAB arrived on the scene.  This includes fungal leaf spots.

 

Fungal leaf spots on ash may be caused by two different fungi:  Mycosphaerella effigurata and M. fraxinicola.  The diseases associated with...

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Joe Boggs

Guignardia Leaf Blotch Red Alert

Guignardia leaf blotch of Aescelus produced by the fungus, Guignardia aesculi, is becoming evident on buckeyes and horsechestnuts in many areas of Ohio.  The fungal spores require moisture to spread to new growth in the spring and to germinate to initiate foliar infections.  Infections and resulting symptoms then progress rapidly during warm summer months.

...

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Joe Boggs

Grasshoppers Abound

During our BYGL Inservice call this past Tuesday; Pam Bennett (Clark County) and Amy Stone (Lucas County) reported observing high grasshopper populations in southwest and northwest Ohio, respectively.  This is the time of year when most grasshoppers are still nymphs which may make identification a challenge.  However, the four most common grasshopper species found in Ohio landscapes include the Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis), Red-Legged Grasshopper (M. femurrubrum), Green-Legged Grasshopper (M. viridipes), and the Carolina Locust (Dissosteira...

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Joe Boggs

Assassin Bug Nymphs

Insects belonging to the Hemipteran family Reduviidae are collectively known as assassin bugs.  The family includes over 160 species in North America and all are meat eaters.  The common name for the family clearly describes how these stealthy hunters make a living.  The bugs are equipped with piercing-sucking mouthparts that are used to inject paralyzing and pre-digestive enzymes into their prey.  They then suck the essence-of-insect from their hapless victims.

 

Assassin bugs pass through three developmental stages:  eggs, nymphs, and adults.  This is known as "incomplete...

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Joe Boggs

Japanese Beetles Making a Comeback

I have received numerous reports and pictures from southern and central Ohio of heavy localized Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) populations.  Infestations are not widespread; however, where they are occurring beetles are being found in high numbers feeding on a wide range of hosts from favorite foods such wild grape, linden trees, and roses to some unusual hosts such as oak.  Dan Potter (Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky) has also reported high populations in Lexington, KY.

...
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Joe Boggs

Bagworms on Deciduous Trees

Common bagworm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) populations crashed a few years ago in Ohio with this general defoliator becoming a rare find.  This changed last season with significant localized populations observed in many areas of the state and the trend appears to be continuing this season.  I've recently found several heavy infestations in southern Ohio with significant damage now becoming very evident.

 

It is a common misconception that bagworms only eat evergreens; however, the caterpillars can feed on over 130 different species of plants including a wide...

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Joe Boggs

I Love Rust: Sometimes

Rust diseases of plants may of course be devastating, from black stem rust of wheat which contributed to famine after World War I to cedar apple rusts which must be controlled by orchardists and (sometimes) landscapers today. Yet, it must be admitted, they are fascinating. They can be autoecious (occurring on only one host plant) such as may-apple rust commonly seen in spring woodlands, but often they must complete their life cycles on wildly different hosts, such as wheat & barberry, juniper & apple.

 

About a month ago I came upon a rust disease I had not...

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Jim Chatfield

Imported Willow Leaf Beetle: Look for 2nd Generation Larvae

Second generation larvae of the imported willow leaf beetles (Plagiodera versicolora) are munching the leaves of wild and cultivated willows in southwest Ohio.  This native of northern Europe was first found in the U.S. in 1915.  Since that time, it has become well established throughout most of the eastern and Midwestern states.  This beetle has a history of periodically achieving population outbreak densities and causing significant defoliation of its namesake host in Ohio.

...

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Joe Boggs

O Rose Thou Art Sick!

With apologies to William Blake and his 1794 publication of the deep-meaning “The Sick Rose” poem, it occurred to me that I was indeed deliberately trying to weaken the pictured rose (multiflora) by mowing in my back lot and continually chopping off the terminal shoot of this rose. In my case, I see this mowing as a metaphor for typically improper topping that I will negatively highlight in my pruning talk at the Cultivate 2016 program a week hence. For trees, top not, you clod-loppers: it releases adjacent buds resulting in hormonal imbalance and tufted, weak growth.

...
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Jim Chatfield

Name This Tree

Probably a decade ago, I brought home a containerized tree, probably from a Secrest Arboretum Plant Discovery Day sale, perhaps as a gift from a friend. It was neglected in its container at the side of our house in northeast Ohio until my wife elbowed me into planting it on a day with little time and I stuck it a few feet away near some old spruce trees. I mostly forgot about it, maybe once a year wondering if this was a volunteer that had sprouted up or if I had planted it, until last year, at about 15 feet tall (yes, I am that unobservant and lazy), when I noticed this tree’s yellow...

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Jim Chatfield

Wanted: Butterfly Weed

This native 1- to 3-foot herbaceous perennial, Asclepias tuberosa (not to be confused with butterfly bush, Buddleia) provides that fairly uncommon sight along roadsides, in meadows and, increasingly in gardens – a bright orange flower. This caught my eye so dramatically decades ago that I had to pull over while driving an interstate highway in Iowa, against the increasingly urgent verbotens of the Herr Professor in the passenger seat. Just had to take a look.

 

It is sometimes called orange milkweed, and Asclepias is a genus with many species that...

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Jim Chatfield

The Beringian Land Bridge and the Sumac Gall Aphid

The bladder-like galls produced the Sumac Gall Aphid (Melaphis rhois) are just beginning to develop on the leaflet midveins of its namesake host in southwest Ohio.  The galls are currently light green and so small they may be difficult to detect.  However, as the season progresses, the galls will eventually become more evident growing to 1/2 - 1" in length and becoming variegated with areas that are greenish-white bounded by areas that are mottled reddish-pink.

...
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Joe Boggs

Grape Phylloxera

Every time I see the bristly, lumpy round galls produced by the grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) on the lower leaf surfaces of wild grape (Vitis spp.), I'm reminded of the story of how an American saved the French (and European) wine industry.  Some may consider it a return on the favor for the French making it possible for us to have something to celebrate on the 4th of July.

...

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Joe Boggs

Chicory is in Bloom

Chicory is a weed that is in bloom in Ohio right now. It can be seen growing abundantly beside roads and highways. It can also be found in lawns, pastures, fields, and waste places. Originating in the Mediterranean chicory was distributed throughout much of the world where it was grown for centuries as a salad green. It escaped from cultivation in North America and has naturalized and spread throughout southern Canada and the U.S.

...
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Julie Crook

Regal Katsuratrees

Katsuratree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) is one of my favorite trees, providing an array of foliar colors throughout the season and a sometimes elusive, but wondrous aroma of crème brulee on fallen Autumn leaves. I could go on and on, but it is better to hear from the master.

Michael Dirr in his “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants” writes of katsuratree: “New leaves emerge a beautiful reddish purple and gradually change to bluish green in summer; fall color varies from yellow to apricot...leaf is shaped like a redbud (Cercis) leaf...the senescing (fall-coloring)...

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Jim Chatfield

Coneflower Calamities: Round 3

Stunted and deformed coneflower plants are symptoms of Aster Yellows.  Of the three coneflower problems I'm presenting in this series, Aster Yellows is the most serious and its control requires the most extreme measures.  This is a serious, chronic disease that occurs throughout North America and may affect over 300 species of plants in 38 families including a number of vegetables such as carrots and potatoes.  However, as its common name implies, the disease most occurs on members of the aster family (Asteraceae (= Compositae); coneflowers appear to be particularly susceptible.

...
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Joe Boggs

Coneflower Calamities: Round 2

Tufted flower parts that rise rosette-like from coneflower cones are produced by the Coneflower Rosette Mite.   The mite is an eriophyid (family Eriophyidae) that has yet to be taxonomically categorized, so it has no scientific name or approved common name.  However, the mite is generally referred to as the Coneflower Rosette Mite based on the damage that it causes to coneflowers.

...

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Joe Boggs

Coneflower Calamities: Round 1

I share Pam Bennett's love for coneflowers; she highlighted the delightful range of cultivars in her BYGL Alert! posted on June 30.  Of course, as she also noted, mass plantings of this wonderful native may suffer from occasional problems.  I'm covering three of the more serious coneflower challenges that may threaten coneflowers in Ohio landscapes in a 3-part series under the banner, "Coneflower Calamities."  Fortunately, each of these problems can be effectively managed through accurate early identification and focused management options.

...
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Joe Boggs

Many Diagnostic Choices for Tomato Wilt

This was one of many tomato questions submitted to Ask an Expert and Ask a Master Gardener, OSU Extension's on-line service providing Ohioans answers to horticulture questions and other topics.  This started a discussion on how providing a definitive answer is not always possible. Even when more details are provided, one diagnostic solution is not always the answer; there can be several things all happening at the same time.  In this particular case, we reviewed the many possible causes for tomato wilt.  These include:

 

  • lack of water,
  • tomato spotted wilt...
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Denise Johnson

Petunias!

I walked through downtown Wooster, Ohio earlier today and was reminded once more of our debt to petunia breeders and petuniacal horticulturists of the past decade or two. Wow, planters and hanging baskets of incredible colors, shapes and sustained beauty throughout the summer. It’s bloomin’ crazy! The genus Petunia and its cousin the “mini-petunia” genus Calibrachoa rule. Both genera are native to South America and are in the Solanaceae (the nightshade family) with tell-tale funnel-like flowers: Some taxonomists even classify the two genera in the genus Petchoa...

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Jim Chatfield

Coneflowers Starting to Hit Peak Bloom

I love coneflowers and never seem to tire of all of the different cultivars on the market.  In central Ohio Echinacea cultivars are beginning to hit their peak bloom period and will continue to show off until late summer.  Some of the pests to watch for this season include Japanese beetles (of course) as well as one relatively new pest that has been wreaking havoc on coneflowers, the SUNFLOWER HEAD-CLIPPING WEEVIL.  This pest usually shows up in July, damaging the flower stems, just below...

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Pam Bennett

Cucumber Beetles Causing Damage

While inspecting my garden the other day, I discovered that my cucumber leaves had some tiny holes in them.  Upon further inspection I discovered a few striped cucumber beetles.  Populations seem to be moderate on my plants at this time in the Clark County area, but I am not taking any chances.  

 

Both striped and spotted cucumber beetles can cause serious damage on plants such as cucumbers and melons.  In addition, I have seen considerable damage to perennial flowers when beetle populations are high.   I tend to have more trouble with the stripped beetle as opposed to the...

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Pam Bennett

Squirrels Debarking Trees

Earlier this week, Dr. Mike Klahr (Extension Agent, Horticulture, Boone County Cooperative Extension) shared photographs sent to him by a homeowner of bark stripping damage caused by squirrels on a honeylocust in a landscape in Boone County, KY.  Thanks to Mike, he and I were able to visit the site yesterday so I could take photos to illustrate this report.  We found that all of the debarking damage seemed to be focused on a single tree; we could not find damage on other trees on the property as well as on trees in neighboring properties including on a large oak that had a squirrel leaf-...

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Joe Boggs

Cicadas and Conifers

Last week, driving along I-71 in northeast Ohio with an entomologist friend Dan Herms, we noticed small areas of browning on trees, including honeylocusts, that we passed while I was driving the legal speed limit. Unthinkingly, on the fly, I mentioned that it looked like mimosa webworm damage was showing up. Politely, Dan pointed out that that the many species of trees, from oaks to honeylocusts, from hickories to maples and many more, were exhibiting flagging from – cicada damage. Duhh, having seen and heard cicadas in this Medina/Lorain County area, I should have known. Damage on these...

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Jim Chatfield

Red Milkweed Beetles

Brightly colored Red Milkweed Beetles (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) are easy to find as they mate and feast on milkweed in southern Ohio. These orangish-red, tubular-shaped 3/8 - 1/2" long beetles sport an odd feature that is clearly described by their scientific name.
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Joe Boggs

Beautiful Beetles on Dogbane

Earlier today, I came across one of the most beautiful beetles found in Ohio.  The beetle lacks a common name, but is generally referred to as the "Dogbane Beetle" because it primarily feeds on dogbane.  The beetle's scientific name is Chrysochus auratus, which loosely translates to "made of gold."  Indeed, these beautiful iridescent beetles may look like gleaming spots of gold on the leaves of dogbane, or they may blaze with an array of other shimmering colors depending on your angle to the beetle.  A slight change in viewing angle will cause the beetles to glisten with multiple...

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Joe Boggs

Suction-Cups on the Bottom of Oak Leaves

I'm always amazed at how the population densities of certain gall-making wasps on oak seem to synchronize over wide geographical areas so that large numbers of the same gall appears over a wide region.  I don't know how they do it.  These are very tiny insects and they have an intimate relationship with their host trees; it's best for them not to stray too far. 

 

Oak button galls on white oak are very common this season throughout southwest Ohio; I even spotted some on oaks in central Indiana.  The galls are produced by the gall wasp, Neuroterus umbilicatus (...

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Joe Boggs

Quercus Quest

A great value added travel joy to the nature and nurture plants-persons within us is trying to figure out the identity of unfamiliar plants. At a Vermont rest area this weekend there were some beautiful oaks (Quercus spp.) with long, maybe 10” long, leaves.  They were in the white oak group, which is a group of oaks with rounded leaf lobes and acorns that develop in one year. Oaks in this group do tend to hybridize readily with each other, but not hybridize with the red/black oak group that have bristle hairs on the tips of the leaf lobes, and which take two years to develop...

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Jim Chatfield
Kathy Smith

Marsonnina Leaf Spot Diagnostics

Marsonnina leaf spot of aspen is something I used to see out West when I lived and worked in Colorado, and maybe once or twice in Ohio, but the example I saw yesterday in Vermont was more about diagnostics. As you can see from this image the Marsonnina fungus causes considerable leaf blotch damage on aspen leaves. Note the pattern however.  The fungus overwinters on twigs and buds and then infects leaves during cool, wet conditions at first leaf emergence. Typically, and as seen here, damage is less or non-existent on subsequent leaf emergence. This pattern is common with many (...

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Jim Chatfield

Ailanthus Webworm Moths

Ailanthus webworm moths (Atteva aurea) are flying to porch lights in southwest Ohio.  In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful moths found in Ohio both because of their coloration and because of what their caterpillars eat.  Caterpillars of this ermine moth (Family Yponomeutidae) feed exclusively on the non-native, highly invasive Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima).

...
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Joe Boggs

Sneaky Caterpillars

There are over 1,400 species of moths in North America that belong to the family Geometridae; it's one of our largest families of moths and butterflies.  Yet, their caterpillars often remain undetected until missing parts of leaves draws attention to these sneaky general defoliators.  Look closely at the above image:  can you see the caterpillar?

 

I took this picture after first seeing the leaf damage then finding the caterpillar; however, I almost completely overlooked the culprit.  That's the M.O. of these caterpillars.  Their camouflaged coloration and sneaky behavior...

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Joe Boggs

Japanese Beetles are on the Wing

This past Thursday, I posted that Northern and Southern Masked Chafers (Cyclocephala borealis and C. lurida) were appearing around my porch lights at night in southwest Ohio.  I noted that owing to consistently low Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) populations in recent years, the two masked chafers have largely supplanted Japanese beetles as the dominant "white grub producing" beetles in my part of the state.  However, that may change this season.

...
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Joe Boggs

Crabapple Scab in Ohio

Apple scab disease, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, is a common problem resulting in major aesthetic damage to many crabapple types (taxa). However, there is a tremendous range of susceptibility of these crabapple taxa to scab, and this can make all the difference to a landscape designer, a nurseryman, a homeowner, a garden center professional or Master Gardener volunteer making recommendations for plant selection. Got leaves, got ugly leaves, got beautiful leaves – all are options.

 

This is why the International Ornamental Crabapple Society has...

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Jim Chatfield
Erik Draper
Curtis E. Young

Crazy Caterpillars Consuming Crabapples!

As Jim Chatfield and I wandered through the “Crablandia” plot evaluating and photographing crabapples today, we noticed multiple stages of the fall webworm munching on some of the foliage of the trees.  We first noticed the initial stages of the fall webworm caterpillars, which were small enough to have congregated on a single leaf.

...
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Erik Draper
Jim Chatfield

Light, Camera - Crabapple!

It is always a revelation when taking pictures, when evaluating plants from catalogue photos, or just in terms of enjoying the nuances of a plant – to realize the importance of light. Backlit photos, the upper and lower surfaces of leaves, outlining against the bright blue sky: come forth and see the light!  Seen here are three views of the same tree, ‘Royal Raindrops’ crabapple.

 

...
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Jim Chatfield
Erik Draper

Apple Scab, Rust and Frog-eye Leaf Spot- Which is What?

As Jim Chatfield and I were out in the “Crablandia” plot today, we noticed the onset of multiple foliar diseases.  Many tree lovers at this time of year start to panic as some of the crabapple leaves begin to turn yellow and drop.  They are often frustrated because they were told that the crabapple they chose was scab resistant, but it still gets spots, the leaves turn yellow and then they fall off.  That’s the Apple Scab fungus right… Well, maybe so and maybe not!

All of these fungal diseases cause spots as a result of their infections of leaf tissue and all of them result in the...

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Erik Draper
Jim Chatfield

Fireblight, Crabapple, Crablandia. One Strike...

We were out in our Crablandia plots at the Secrest Arboretum of OSU’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster today. One mission was to check for bacterial fireblight disease on the 76 crabapple taxa in our replicated, randomized plot. This spring we had heard of and seen some fireblight, on crabapples and other related rosaceous plants such as pears elsewhere, and we have susceptible crabapples in the trials so why not here? Yet, cultivar after cultivar, early blooming and late blooming types - no fireblight. Wait, wait, we see one shoot with the tell-tale shepherd’s...

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Jim Chatfield
Erik Draper

Cicada Damage Appearing in NE Ohio

Reports of branch die back in many trees are coming into the Medina Extension Office from around the county.  These brown patches are most likely the result of periodical cicadas laying eggs in the tender branches of trees.  Cicadas prefer laying their eggs in young twigs about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter.  To lay their eggs, cicada stab a needle-like ovipositor into the branch that can cause these tender twigs to break, wither, and die.  The resulting symptom is browning leaves at branch tips known as "flags" or "flagging".  While larger trees have enough foliage to withstand tip dieback...

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Ashley Kulhanek

Fertilizer Injury on Dogwood

This digital image of dogwood arrived with the e-mailer asking if the problem was leaf scorch.   Damage seemed too great and too complete to be simple leaf scorch due to some transient heat stress. Further information indicated that someone had suggested that the plant needed potash and the e-mailer applied it and then asked if too much could be applied.  Well, yes. As with anything, even something as useful as fertilizer, “the dose makes the poison.”

 

The sender had applied 2 pounds of a 6 pound bag of a consumer-product potash (0-0-60) fertilizer. So at 2 pounds...

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Jim Chatfield

Cottony Maple Scale in Northwest Ohio

Earlier this week, Eric Richer (OSU Extension, Fulton County) sent me an image of a maple with almost all of the branches covered with Cottony Maple Scale females that were extruding their elongated, white, cottony ovisacs.  The oval-shaped dark brown females remained highly visible with their ovisacs peeking out from beneath their bodies.  The ovisacs expand to look like 1/4" diameter cotton balls on the branches of their host plants.  The scale has a very wide host range which includes their namesake host as well as ash, basswood/linden, black locust, dogwood, elm, euonymus, hackberry,...

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Joe Boggs

The Great Grub Switcheroo

Northern Masked Chafer (Cyclocephala borealis) and Southern Masked Chafer (C. lurida) adults are appearing around porchlights at night in southern Ohio.  It is common for people to assume that white grubs found beneath turfgrass in Ohio are Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) grubs.  This is no longer a safe bet.  Japanese beetles have largely been replaced by these two chafers as the dominant "white grub producing" beetles in many areas of Ohio including the southern part of the state.  Indeed, I asked an experienced lawn care company last season to collect...

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Joe Boggs

Oak Lace Bug Stippling Damage Whitens White Oak Leaves

I received several images of white oak leaves from a homeowner who wanted to know why the leaves appeared bleached.  The culprit was Oak Lace Bug (Corythucha arcuata).  This lace bug lives on the undersides of oak leaves where they use their piercing/sucking mouth parts to suck juices from the leaves.  As with all lace bugs, their feeding produces tiny yellow or whitish leaf spots (stippling) that may coalesce to produce large, white patches on the upper leaf surface.  Eventually, the damage becomes yellow-to-copper colored and the overall damage can produce early leaf drop....

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Joe Boggs

White Pine Weevil Damage is Becoming Evident

White pine weevil (Pissodes strobi) larval feeding damage is now becoming very evident in southern Ohio.  This means that localized weevil populations may be reduced by removing and destroying infested conifer terminals.  Overwintered females deposit eggs in early spring in the terminals of a wide range of conifers including Douglas-fir, all spruces, as well as Scotch, jack, red, pitch, and eastern white pines.  After the eggs hatch, the resulting white, legless, slightly curved, grub-like larvae tunnel downward just beneath the bark feeding on phloem tissue until pupation.  The...

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Joe Boggs

Translucent Oak Galls

One of my all-time favorite plant galls is the appropriately named Translucent Oak Gall.  The galls are produced by the gall-wasp, Amphibolips nubilipennis (family Cynipidae).  They arise from a leaf vein on the lower leaf surface and measure around 1/2 - 3/4" in diameter.  Their shape and color causes them to strongly resemble tiny, pink balloons or pink grapes hanging beneath the leaves of red, scarlet, and black oaks. 

...

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Joe Boggs

Orange Rust on Thornless Blackberries

Recently in Northeast Ohio, the fungal disease known as Orange Rust is beginning to rear its unique, but strange symptoms on brambles, which are also known as cane berries.  Specifically, this fungus most often infects black and purple raspberries and sometimes is found on thornless blackberries, but is not known to infect red raspberries.

For me personally, this is the first time in my 24 years as an Extension Educator, that I have seen this disease on thornless blackberries.  Most often, this fungus is evident on either thorned blackberries or purple raspberries.  It is...

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Erik Draper

Maple: Not Anthracnose

On June 18 I sent a byglalert about maple anthracnose diagnosed earlier this spring. The plant disease symptoms (see below) for that byglalert item included discolored blotches on the foliage which coalesced along leaf veins. The sample above for this alert today, sent from OSU Extension in Morrow County, show symptoms of leaf discoloration between the veins. This is the classic difference between physiological leaf scorch (this case) and anthracnose fungal disease (the previous case). The difference is all in the details. Physiological leaf scorch can be caused by many...

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Jim Chatfield

All In

This past Sunday: Before and After The Game. Note there are more trees!
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Jim Chatfield

SAVE THE DATE - 89th Annual Green Industry Short Course

Save these Dates - December 5, 6, 7 and 8, 2016!

 

The 89th Annual OSU Green Industry Short Course is partnering the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation (OTF) to present cutting-edge education on a wide range of horticultural topics at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.  Four days of amazing programming  includes a  pre-conference session called  Trees on Tap on December 5th.  Don't miss this opportunity for networking, up-to-date information and continuing education credits.  Mark your calendars and  save December 5, 6, 7 and 8th now and we will send you updates on the...

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Denise Johnson

Gypsy Moth Caterpillars Continue to Munch in NW Ohio

See-through-trees?  What could it be? 

 

Upon closer inspection of this building's foundation planting in Toledo, Ohio, the crabapple and beech trees were being fed upon by gypsy moth catepillars.  It appears they began their feeding frenzy on the crabapple, and once those leaves were eaten, they quickly moved out and began feeding on the beech trees on either side.  What you don't see in the photo are several spruce trees that are also a caterpillar favorite.  The tree that was missing at this location and is the caterpillar's favorite, is the oak.  But even without its...

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Amy Stone

Even in Scarlet and Gray country, these Maize and Blue planes are welcome

This is a Media Release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Brett Gates, Deputy Communication Director . 

 

As Columbus commuters and residents go about their routines on Tuesday, June 21, they are likely to notice these yellow airplanes gracing the skies of the capital city:

 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture wants to make folks aware that these airplanes are fighting back against the gypsy moth, a pest that can wreak havoc on over 300 different types of our trees and shrubs while feeding on their foliage. The gypsy moth has been such a pest...

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Amy Stone

Goose No Fly Zone During Molting

At the end of June and into the first few weeks of July, something happens to Ohio's goose population. Homeowners that have been harassing (or scaring) geese off their property may notice that now, the geese just aren't flying away. There is a reason your property has become a no-fly zone - the adults are molting their flight feathers. This process takes a few weeks during which, the adults are unable to fly. Couple that with a clutch of young goslings that are not able to spread their wings yet, and you have several sitting ducks (or in this case, geese!). Unfortunately, damage (and the...

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Marne Titchenell

Sssssssnakes in the Garden

 

SSSSSSSSSNAKES IN THE GARDEN. It is not uncommon this time of year to encounter a slithery visitor in gardens, landscapes, and backyards. There are several species of snakes happy to live their lives in backyards, but one of the most common is the eastern gartern snake. Named for the 3 light stripes that run along the length of its black, brown, gray, or olive body, the garter snake is sometimes nicknamed the 'garden' snake because that is where unsuspecting gardeners often encounter them. The stripes running vertically along the length of the snake's body resemble the once...

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Marne Titchenell

BYGL Mail, Part Two: Week of June 13

More responses from bygl-alert readers:

3). Tom Holcomb wrote that: 

Our 80-year old plus parents have a gorgeous huge tulip poplar. Earlier it was full of blossoms. Squirrels have nipped most of them off.  They believed this is the first year that this is happened. Wondering if there is a reason/explanation for this?  

I do not know the answer, but one possibility is that this is due to the large amount of nectar produced by tuliptree (another name for tulip poplar) flowers. If so, their behavior is not so squirrely, after all.

 

4). ...

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Jim Chatfield

BYGL Mail, Part 1, Week of June 13

Below are a few selected bygl-alert user comments from mid-June.

1). Mary Beth Breckenridge wrote:

Read your cicada article in BYGL with interest. But have you eaten one?

I have not, but the outstanding writer and journalist Mary Beth, of northeast Ohio’s Beacon Journal newspaper has, and to prove it, go to:

 https://www.facebook.com/MBBreckABJ/videos/10154444348473296/

Collin Foltz,  a student in my OSU Sustainable Landscape Maintenance class this...

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Jim Chatfield

Purple-Flowered Raspberry

The time of eating the woodsy fruits of raspberries is beginning, but the genus for raspberries and blackberries (Rubus) is not just for eating.  The purple-flowered raspberry (Rubus odoratus) is a small- to medium-sized (3 to 8 feet) native shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae).  In both woodlands (I saw it this week at Mohican State Park) and for landscapes this raspberry is a welcome sight. It has maple-like leaves (but alternate rather than opposite leaf arrangement) and sparse wine-like purple flowers. These flowers almost remind you, appropriately so, of – small wild...

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Jim Chatfield

Yellow Poplar Weevil on Tuliptree

Yellow poplar weevil (Odontopus calceatus) is a snout beetle that causes mostly cosmetic damage on tuliptree (also known as yellow poplar and tulip poplar), sassafras, and certain magnolias. I noted damage on tuliptree this past week while also noting developing cicada tree flagging also occurring on tuliptree. Damage on tuliptree leaves includes little bean-shaped scar-like pits in leaves due to epidermal feeding by the weevil adults and larger leaf blotch mines by the weevil larvae. Damage is usually just cosmetic, but in outbreaks may result is a scorched appearance to the...

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Jim Chatfield

Where Have All The Maple Seedlings Gone?

Many have noted this Spring that there are not as many red maple (Acer rubrum) seedlings popping up in flower beds. This was illustrated for me this past Saturday (June 11) when crossing the footbridge adjacent to the B & O Harmar Bridge, spanning the Muskingum River from Marietta proper to Harmar Village in southern Ohio.  I visited this bridge for the first time on June 21, 2013 and at the time took a picture then of the many red maple seedlings sprouting from the wooden railroad ties of the railroad bridge. This year, almost nada for red maple seedlings.  

 

...
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Jim Chatfield

Cicadaville

If you look at a map of the emergence of Brood V of the 17-year cicadas, Magicicada septendecim (what a great name!), for example at cicadamania.com, it looks like almost the entire eastern half of Ohio was destined for the same experience. As we know by now, though, it is not one size fits all. Go to the OSU Mansfield Campus and the cacophony is big-time, go to Wooster and it is the late spring quietude, until dog-day cicadas, which we hear every year arrive later in the summer. Twenty miles south at Mohican State Park and the male cicadas choir is signing in noticeable numbers....

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Jim Chatfield

ODA Annouces Gypsy Moth Mating Disruption Treatments In Central Ohio

On Tuesday, June 14, 2016 the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced that they will begin aerial treatments designed to disrupt gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) mating this summer in central Ohio. 

 

The gypsy moth is a non-native species that feeds on more than 300 different trees and shrubs, and is especially fond of oaks (Quercus spp.) while in its devastating caterpillar stage.  While healthy plants can usually withstand one or two years of defoliation, repeat feeding injury coupled with a drought or other pest pressures, can cause host plant ...

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Amy Stone
Nutrient Deficiency Case Study on Colorado Blue Spruce boggs.47@osu.edu Tue, 06/14/2016 - 18:20

While BYGL Alerts are intended to provide fast-hitting information, sometimes it's important for us to take a little more time - and space - to dig deeper.  Our Southwest Ohio Diagnostic Walk-About group visited Stanley Rowe Arboretum yesterday and revisited an interesting nutrient deficiency problem that was observed by the group on Colorado blue spruce during our Walk-About last year.

...

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Joe Boggs

Let's Go on a Snipe Hunt

The golden-backed snipe fly (Chrysopilus thoracicus) is one of the most beautiful insects you'll run across in Ohio forests.   Both the common and scientific names are very descriptive for this native fly.  The top of the thorax (= the "back") is covered in highly reflective golden colored hairs; "Chysopilus" means "golden hair."  The fly's body and wing veins are bluish-black and the abdomen has lateral white markings.

 

Little appears to be known regarding the fly's life-style.  The adults have been observed visiting the flowers of a number of native plants,...

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Joe Boggs

Fluffy, White Planthopper Nymphs are Becoming Evident

Clusters of fluffy, white planthopper nymphs are appearing on the stems of annuals, perennials, and the lower branches of trees and shrubs in southern Ohio.  Planthoppers belong to the Family Flatidae (Order Hemiptera; Suborder Auchenorrhyncha), and are sometimes referred to as "flatids."  Planthopper adults are 1/4- 3/8" long, purplish blue, lime green, or powdery white, and they hold their broad wings vertically in a tent-like fashion covering the sides of the body and legs.

...
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Joe Boggs

Smokebush Arisin'

One of the wondrous sights this time of the year is the ethereal inflorescent pufflike panicles of smokebush or smoketree (Cotinus) flower heads.  There are two species, our native Cotinus obovatus, a larger plant much used on the High Line Park in New York City and Cotinus coggygria, the European smokebush.  This genus is in the Anacardiaceae family, cousins to poison ivy (Rhus or Toxicodendron species), cashew, mango, and pistachio. 

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

I Love Peonies! and Time for Post-Bloom Followup

Peonies in central Ohio are now finished blooming but wow what a bloom this year.  They had just about perfect weather to provide a wonderful display.  Now they they are finished blooming, you can clean up the dead blooms (deadhead) and have pretty nice looking foliage plants in the perennial bed the rest of the season.  Remove the dead blooms by going down into the plant, going below the top layer of foliage. 

 

...

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Pam Bennett

Elm Insect Duo

I recently looked at some elms on Columbus city streets and took some images of two insects on one leaf, though mostly on lower leafs and trunk sprouts. One insect was a wasp leafminer, Fenusa ulmi.  The larvae of this insect “mine” plant leaf cells for their nutritive value. It is a native insect and generally is worse on non-native elm species and those hybrids with some Asian or European elm genetics. Typically, insecticides are not recommended but labeled systemic insecticides may be useful in situations where applications are warranted.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield
Curtis E. Young

BYGLosophy: Mozart and Thee

The 9th time you have explained that soil and its effects on roots are the key to plant health… Your new landscape company and the difficulty of explaining your well-grounded vision of plant health management…Trying to convince your friends of the elegance of Townes Van Zandt’s lyrics…Getting everyone to see how cool byglalerts are as they show up on your phone…Sometimes only time will tell your truths to the rest of the world.  Do not despair: it is always thus.

As such, I started reading the book Mozart in the Jungle by Blair Tindall the other day and the lead quote was...

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Jim Chatfield

Oak Apple Wasp Galls

While hiking (sweating!) along a forested walking trail near my home over the weekend, I came across several types of oak apple wasp galls on their namesake hosts.  These unusual plant growths can range in size at maturity from 1/2 - 2" in diameter and are named for their resemblance to apples.  The galls are constructed of leaf tissue that has been hijacked by a gall wasp (Family Cynipidae) to surround a single wasp larva located within a seed-like structure positioned at the center of the gall.  The exact species of gall-wasp that is responsible for producing the oak-apple gall can be...

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Joe Boggs

Lace Bug Damage Becoming Evident in Southwest Ohio

Lace bugs were very successful with overwintering in southwest Ohio and high populations are now producing noticeable symptoms.  The most obvious lace bugs include:  basswood lace bug (Gargaphia tiliae), hawthorn lace bug (Corythucha cydoniae), and oak lace bug (C. arcuata).  Sycamore lace bug (C. incurvata) is showing up on trees that were less affected by sycamore anthracnose this spring.

...
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Joe Boggs

Pear Rust in Ohio?

We are all used to seeing cedar apple rust, cedar hawthorn rust and cedar quince rust fungi on their dual hosts of junipers and Rosaceous hosts such as apple, crabapple, the occasional quince, and perhaps serviceberry in Ohio. I was much surprised to see what I think are Callery pear trees speckled with bright orange-red rust symptoms in German Village in Columbus this past week, however.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Fireblight This Time

Fireblight on Callery pear is highlighted against the blue sky in Columbus’s German Village this past Thursday in the lead photo of this byglalert, with a different look in the second photo taken with a different sun angle, important to remember when seeing images and thinking “it doesn’t look quite like what I saw”. Fireblight symptoms of “shepherd’s crook” shoots and discolored leaves are common to see now, following infections which occurred weeks, even months earlier in cool, warm weather during bloom. 

...

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Jim Chatfield

Firs for Ohio: Who Ya Gonna Believe?

The other day I was chatting with Joe Boggs after a program at OSU-Mansfield and regaled the beautiful white firs (Abies concolor) on the campus there. I mentioned that I thought this species of fir was the best-suited for Ohio landscapes, channeling a long-held and repeated opinion that other firs, such as Fraser do not do as well here due to hot summers, preferring North Carolina mountain country and New Hampshire and northern Michigan climes.

For the first times in our lives (not!) Joe disagreed with me. He has considerable cred here, having worked on Christmas tree...

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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

Blistered Oak Leaves

Oak leaf blister is a disease is caused by the fungus, Taphrina caerulescens.  The fungus overwinters in infected buds and twigs.  Leaf infections occur during moist periods in the spring as leaves emerge.  Early symptoms appear as raised, blister-like, light-green to yellowish-green spots on the upper leaf surface matched with deep depressions on the lower leaf surface.  Eventually, the leaf "blisters" become very apparent as they turn dark brown to brownish-black.  The blisters may be evenly distributed across the leaf and are distinct from the angular, vein-based symptoms...

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Joe Boggs

Snow White Black Knot

I planted a multi-stemmed Canada red chokecherry (Prunus virginiana 'Shubert') years ago in my landscaping so I could admire the deep, purplish-red foliage; a signature display of this selection.  Of course, that was before anyone knew it’s a magnet for the fungus, Apiosporina morbosa; the plant pathogen that causes black knot.  The disease is characterized by thick, corky, elongated gall-growths on twigs and branches that become coal-black late in the growing season; thus the common name for the disease.  Black knot is now the signature display of many Canada red...

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Joe Boggs

Fall Webworms in Spring?

First generation fall webworms (Hyphantria cunea) are appearing in central and southern Ohio.  Fall webworm moths typically have two generations per year in Ohio and despite their common name, first generation nests usually appear in late spring.  Fall webworm caterpillars only feed on the leaves that are enveloped by their silk nest.  As caterpillars grow in size, they expand their nest by casting silk over more leaves to accommodate their expanding appetites.

...

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Joe Boggs

Tupelo, Honey

In my back yard there are two sourgums, also known as blackgum or tupelo, with the lovely Latin binomial of Nyssa sylvatica. I grew them from young plants sold to me by Kenny Cochran at Secrest Arboretum, and now they have grown to the age that they are producing not only their glossy green leaves but also -  flowers.  

As the Missouri Botanical Garden website indicates, flowers are: “Primarily dioecious (separate male and female trees), but each tree often has some perfect flowers. Small, greenish-white flowers appear in spring on long stalks (female flowers in sparse...

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Jim Chatfield

One More Anthranose: Maple This TIme

In previous BYGLs this spring, we have noted the occurrence of heavy sycamore anthracnose statewide, and also of ash, beech, and oak anthracnose in southwest Ohio. This report from northeast Ohio is of one of the maple anthracnose fungal diseases. I was called out to a landscape in Doylestown Ohio where the homeowners were very concerned that “all of the leaves are fallin’” from a beloved maple tree that towers over their deck. We are all familiar with this sky-is-falling observation which in most cases turns out to be a bit overstated due to worry.

At most, probably less than 1%...

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Jim Chatfield

Elm Galls And More

It is often said that a picture tells a thousand words. In this case, perhaps a few less, but it does tell multiple and layered stories. First, as shown by this image, one of the plant ID characteristics of elm (Ulmus) leaves is the uneven base to the leaf blade as shown here. This was the main point for the attendees at a recent Name That Tree program of OSU Extension at the OSU Mansfield campus. Secondly, of all the gall, the elm cockscomb gall insect (Colopha ulmicola) induced the DNA of this elm leaf to produce a proud new home for the insect’s progeny. Thirdly...

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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

Antlions Are On the Hunt

Ron Wilson (Natorp's) shared an e-mail message with me this morning from a listener of his radio show about a strange insect that kept "trying to cover itself with dirt."  An ID didn't come to my mind … I claim because of a lack of coffee rather than an age-related issue.  Ron chided me by repeating the part about the insect trying to cover itself with dirt.  My last functional neuron fired and I realized the message was about one of our favorite insects:  antions (Myrmeleon immaculatus).

...

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Joe Boggs

Holey Thistle!

Damage from the non-native thistle tortoise beetle (Cassida rubiginosa) is beginning to appear on its non-native, invasive host, Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), in southwest Ohio.  The beetles are pale green or yellowish-green which allows them to blend with their host's leaves.  Like other tortoise beetles, the adults have a body shaped like a flattened pith helmet.  The head and legs of the adults are typically hidden under the flares of their helmet-like body.  The antennae can be hidden or extended out from underneath the front of the beetle.

...
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Joe Boggs

Who's Spittin' on My Dogwoods?

During today's weekly BYGL Inservice, Amanda Bennett (OSU Extension, Miami County) shared some striking images of the frothy, spittle-like masses produced by dogwood spittlebug (Clastoptera proteus) on its namesake host.  Spittlebug (family Cercopidae) nymphs are responsible for producing the frothy masses; adults of these insects are called "froghoppers" and have an entirely different life style. 

...
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Joe Boggs

Towering Poison Hemlock

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is among the most deadly 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.  The roots are more toxic than the leaves and stems; however, all parts of the plant including the seeds should be considered dangerous.  It is a common misconception that poison hemlock sap will cause skin rashes and blisters.  In fact, poison hemlock toxins must be ingested or enter through the eyes, cuts, or...

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Joe Boggs

Calico Scale Crawlers on the Move

Calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) 1st instar nymphs (crawlers) have been on the move in southwest Ohio and most have already settled on the undersides of leaves of infested host trees.  The tiny, tannish-brown, oblong-shaped crawlers are around 1/16" in length.  After hatching from eggs beneath females located on stems, the crawlers migrate to the undersides of leaves.  They position themselves along leaf veins where they insert their piercing-sucking mouthparts into phloem vessels to extract amino acids that are dissolved in the sugary plant sap.

...

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Joe Boggs

Hemlock Pine?

We sometimes forget “what it was like not to know”, when it comes to plant identification. Yet, it is essential when it comes to selecting and maintenance of plants. A simple misidentification of a pine vs. a spruce can result in improper pruning timing or improper diagnostics, prognostics, and recommended management for a disease: Diplodia tip blight of pine and Cytospora  canker of spruce are different diseases, obviously on different –plants. And spruces do not have “pine cones”.

 

...

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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

Trees Take Flight

At a recent tree identification workshop I brought some samples of hedge maple (Acer campestre) and when the learners were keying these out I noted to them that stems had “wings”. Several attendees were more quizzical than usual at my ramblings and asked what I meant. “Wings” or raised or corky projections on stems of woody plants are perhaps most common with regard to winged euonymus (Euonymus alatus) from the Latin alatus which means “having wings or winglike extensions”.

There are many additional woody plant species that have “wings”, though, including...

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Jim Chatfield

Enjoy the Orchid-Like Catalpa Blooms!

I'm an unabashed lover of catalpa trees.  Yes, they are messy, but so are many of our "preferred" native and non-native landscape trees.  I loathe the subjective tree descriptor of "messy" because it removed so many wonderful trees from our landscape palette (e.g. sycamores).

Of course, catalpas do occasionally play host to hungry hordes of their very own caterpillar; catalpa hornworms are the larval form of the catalpa sphinx moth (Ceratomia catalpae).  The caterpillars only feed on catalpa trees.  However, as I discovered with a huge northern catalpa (Catalpa...

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Joe Boggs

Phomopsis Gall in Hickory

Phomopsis Gall on Hickory. 

An arboretum walk, a mature tree flowering and leafing out, a lovely spring day, a – gall. A bunch of galls, in fact, on this one tree. At first glance, the galls looked like horned-oak or gouty oak galls, round to oblong stem galls that occur on oak. The areas on the stems even looked sort of oak-ish at first, with masses of pollen-bearing male catkins evident. Not an oak, though, as the compound leaves attested. It was a hickory, and the galls, unlike the insect-induced horned oak and gouty oak galls, were caused by a fungus, the Phomopsis  ...

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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

Horned Oak Gall Leaf Galls

When most people think of horned oak galls, they visualize the gnarled, woody stem galls that form on the twigs and small branches of pin oaks.  This is understandable since the gall-making wasp, Callirhytis cornigera (Family Cynipidae) that's responsible for directing the growth of the stem galls spends 33 months developing inside individual chambers within these very obvious galls.

The galls grow larger in size with each season.  In early spring, as the immature wasps near the completion of their development, the whitish-tan, cone-shaped “horns” that give this gall its...

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Joe Boggs

Oak Marginal Leaf Fold Gall

So-called marginal leaf fold galls are appearing on oaks in the "red oak group" in southwest Ohio.  The galls appear as rolled or folded leaf margins and are produced by a gall-making midge fly, Macrodiplosis erubescens (Family Cecidomyiidae).  As with the vast majority of oak galls, the leaf fold galls cause no appreciable harm to the overall health of affected oaks.  However, the gall has become notorious in recent years for its connection to a non-native predaceous mite (Pyemotes herfsi) that may feed on the gall-making midge fly larvae (maggots).  The mite...

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Joe Boggs

Erineum Patches on American Beech Leaves

The felt-like erineum patches produced by the eriophyid mite, Acalitus fagerinea, on the upper leaf surfaces of American beech are now appearing in southwest Ohio.  Currently, the patches are light-yellow.  However, they progress through several color stages throughout the season from light green in the spring to brilliant yellow to yellowish-gold then rusty red to reddish-brown and finally dark brown.

Although the patches are located on the upper leaf surface, they cause a dimpling of the lower leaf surface beneath the patch. 

...

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Joe Boggs

More Anthracnose

Last week, we reported that leaf and stem symptoms of the fungal disease known as sycamore anthracnose were becoming evident on the namesake host in many areas of Ohio.  This week, we're adding ash, oak, and beech to the list of foliar anthracnose diseases appearing in the southwest part of the state.  It's important to keep in mind that the anthracnose diseases affecting sycamore, ash, oak, and beech are each produced by a different host-specific fungus.  The fungus that produces anthracnose on sycamore does not infect ash, oak, or beech and vice versa; the fungus responsible for ash...

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Joe Boggs

Wild Parsnip is Blooming in Southern Ohio

Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) plants are rising towards their full height and blooms are beginning to appear in southern Ohio.  Landscape managers and gardeners should exercise extreme caution around this non-native invasive plant; the plant's juices can cause phytophotodermatitis (a.k.a. Berloque dermatitis).   If plant juices contact skin and the skin is then exposed to sunlight (specifically ultraviolet light), severe blistering can occur, as well as skin discoloration that may last several months. 

...

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Authors
Joe Boggs

Willow Woes

First generation imported willow leaf beetles (Plagiodera versicolora) are munching the leaves of wild and cultivated willows in southwest Ohio.  This native of northern Europe was first found in the U.S. in 1915.  Since that time, it has become well established throughout most of the eastern and Midwestern states.  Although it has been a number of years since a significant outbreak has been reported in Ohio, this beetle has a history of periodically achieving population outbreak densities and causing significant defoliation of its namesake host.

...

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Joe Boggs

Sawfly Slugged Rose Leaves

Heavy leaf damage from the non-native bristly roseslug sawfly (Cladius difformis) is becoming very apparent on its namesake host in southwest Ohio.  Roses in Ohio may be infested by this sawfly as well as two other non-native species:  the European roseslug sawfly (Endelomyia aethiops); and the curled roseslug sawfly (Allantus cinctus).  Despite their common names, the larvae of these sawflies resemble tiny caterpillars and look nothing like the glistening, elongated pear-shaped "slug sawflies" which do resemble tiny slugs.

...

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Joe Boggs

Overwintered Bagworm Eggs Have Hatched and Caterpillars Are Feeding

Overwintered common bagworm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) eggs have hatched in southwest Ohio and 1st instar caterpillars have settled to feed and construct their characteristic sac-like bags.  A percentage of the tiny 1st instar caterpillars produce a strand of silk upon hatching to catch the wind and "balloon" to new locations.  This behavior is one of the reasons bagworms often appear on hosts that were not infested last season.

...
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Joe Boggs

I Need Rain!

Some of you might think that I am crazy (most already know that) but I am really getting to the point that I need rain.  Someone told me this morning that we are supposed to have 100% chance of rain today but I won't believe it until I can go out and play in it!

 

Last Sunday night, there were storms all around Ohio.  Driving back from Akron we hit some really heavy rain in Ashland County.   Friends on Facebook were saying that they got 3" or more in the Enon area.  I thougth for sure that we had to have gotten some at my house in the northern part of Clark County.  Pulling...

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Authors
Pam Bennett

American Wisteria in Bloom in NW Ohio

This pleasant smelling perennial vine is blooming in northwest Ohio. American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) is less aggressive than the Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis).  Blooms are a source of nectar and are attractive to butterflies.  The plant is also a larval host for marine blue, zarucco duskywing, and skippers.  An added bonus for gardeners is that it appears to be tolerant to deer. 

 

The vine's flowers give way to narrow, flattened, smooth seed pods (to 5” long) which ripen in summer. Pods typically split open in fall. Compound, odd-pinnate...

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Amy Stone

Buckeye Turf - Must See Turf Tip Video

Recently, Todd Hicks and Joe Rimelspach with the OSU Department of Plant Pathology posted a "special edition" of Turf Tips. 

 

Topics covered in this video included:  what is happening in high-cut turfgrass - leaf spot, dollar spot and red thread; fungicides for residential turf; prevention is key; granular application best practices; and safety and first aid.   

 

Click here to view the video:  http://turfdisease.osu.edu/turftips_May25

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Authors
Amy Stone

Cressleaf Groundsel is in Bloom 

Cressleaf Groundsel in the Field.  Image by Steven Smith.

 

The weed that is currently gracing the landscapes and farm fields in southern Ohio with a smattering of canary yellow is cressleaf groundsel (Packera glabella).   Cressleaf groundsel, which is also known as BUTTERWEED (Senecio glabellus), is a member of the aster family (Asteraceae; a.k.a. Compositae), thus the weed sports flowers that are daisy-like and seed heads that look like miniature dandelion puff-balls.  The flowers are borne at the ends of thick, erect, stems that are green with reddish-purple streaks. ...

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Authors
Julie Crook
Joe Boggs

Late Freeze Fires the Imagination

In Northeast Ohio this year, and specifically Chardon, Ohio, had a snowfall event on May 15, 2016 and anywhere from 0.25-0.5 of an inch accumulated across the area.  While flying snowflakes were startling enough, the real concern and fear involved the impact of the projected low overnight temperatures.  The first night on May 15, the temperatures dropped to right around freezing (34-32°F) and then on Monday evening, May 16, temperatures dropped below freezing (31-29°F) and as low as 27°F in low lying areas.  While some plants had their tender foliage and new twig expansion killed outright...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Tuliptree Mania

Shakespeare used the term ”trippingly” to refer to a lilting or nimble effect as in “trippingly on the tongue” rather than bombastic speechifying referenced in his Hamlet directives. The Latin name of tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) should thusly be spoken trippingly. Try saying it out loud; very elvish and fairy-like trills, as befits the “trippingly” term he first used in “Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

And what a tree this is: large, lobed tulip-shaped leaves. The flowers are wondrous:  cup-shaped with yellow-green petals with orange flares at the base.  The tree grows...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

Every Dogwood Has Its Day

How soon the glorious starch-white blossoms of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) are gone for another season, even this year when the blooms of this native dogwood lasted longer than usual. Yet this short season is only a page in the book that is the genus Cornus (30-60 species). Corneliancherry dogwood (C. mas) was first, with chartreuse-yellow flowers arriving long before leaves in late March and early April. For rich northeast Ohio woodlands and some cultivated gardens, the herbaceous groundcover wildflower, bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) est arrivee...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Fiery Searchers on the Hunt

One of my all-time favorite beetles is beginning to showing-up on trees and shrubs in southwest Ohio.  This is the time of the year when populations of many soft-bodied insects such as caterpillars and sawfly larvae begin to rise.  It's not coincidental that this is also the time of the year when Fiery Searcher Caterpillar Hunters (Calosoma scrutator) begin to appear.  This colorful predacious beetle feasts on free-range caterpillar meat as well as on any other soft-bodied insect that it can clamp its mandibles on.  Indeed, this beetle is considered one of the more significant...

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Authors
Joe Boggs

Frost Damage on Canaan Fir Mimics Balsam Twig Aphid Damage

I have a prized Canaan fir (Abies balsamea var phanerolepis) in my backyard.  It's prized because I'm a native West Virginian and so is the tree.  My wife knows that if we ever move, the tree is coming with us!  The common name of this balsam fir variety is based on its first discovery in the once isolated, high-mountain Canaan Valley in northeastern WV.  Jim Brown (another native West Virginian and Professor Emeritus, OSU School of Environment and Natural Resources) spent much of his long career sorting out the five natural seed sources (provenances) of this tree.  The...

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Authors
Joe Boggs

Ball-Like Galls Appearing on Hickory.

Hickory petiole galls produced by Phylloxera subelliptica (family Phylloxeridae) are appearing on hickory in southwest Ohio.  The single-chambered, ball-like galls range in size from 1/4 - 1/2" in diameter and arise from leaf petioles as well as along leaf midveins.  They may occur singly or in clusters to hang grape-like from their namesake host.  The galls range in color from solid greenish-white to bi-color forms involving splashes of reddish-pink.  Fully mature galls split open at to release the phylloxeran adults through a longitudinal slit.  Spent galls either dry out to...

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Authors
Joe Boggs

White-Tipped Canada Thistle is not an "Albino Strain."

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) plants that are infected with the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tagetis (PST) develop "bleached tips."  The bacterium produces a chemical called tagetitoxin that is a RNA polymerase III inhibitor that blocks the production of chloroplasts.  Symptoms could be mistaken for exposure to a member of the photosynthesis inhibiting class of herbicide such as the triazines (e.g. atrazine) and nitriles (e.g. bromoxynil).  Of course, the herbicides would tend to affect the entire plant whereas PST only affects the upper portions of...

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Joe Boggs

Tuliptrees are in Full Bloom in Southern Ohio

Tuliptrees (a.k.a tulip poplar, yellow poplar) are in full, glorious bloom in southern Ohio!  Don't miss these showy, fiery, tulip-like blooms peeking out from the dark green foliage on this wonderful native tree.  

Ohio's Big Trees Program lists a Tuliptree in Richland county at 228" circumference, 136' height and 71' spread.

 

 

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Joe Boggs

Sycamore Anthracnose

Enquiring eyes throughout Ohio are noticing sparse foliation on sycamores (American planetree) and to a lesser extent London planetree hybrids this Spring. Not to worry, the culprit is almost assuredly sycamore anthracnose disease.  This fungal disease occurs every year, but is enhanced when there are cool, wet conditions during leaf emergence, conditions which were common throughout Ohio this year. If history is to be any guide, these planetrees will recover well, putting out new leaves which will make us forget how they look now by late June.

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Jim Chatfield
Joe Boggs

I'm NOT an Orphan, Just Ask Mom!

As the 'twitterpated' season ends and young wildlife are being born, it's important to realize that young are often left alone by their parents for their own safety. We naturally want to protect and care for a seemingly abandoned baby animal, but many wildlife infants are born much more advanced than human infants. This means wildlife babies are capable of being left alone.  Eastern cottontail rabbit kits mature very quickly, leaving the nest after 3 weeks as small versions of their parents.  A small baby rabbit with erect ears and open eyes does not need assistance.  Neither does a young...

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Marne Titchenell

New Look to Growing Degree Website

Have you visited the Ohio State University's Growing Degree Day (GDD) website this spring?  If you haven't, you are in for a treat!  The website has a new look, is very easy to navigate, and has an added feature that everyone will be using. 

Once on the home-page, you have an option of inputting any Ohio zipcode.  The date will always be the current date, although you can manipulate and use past dates in your search.  Once the zipcode has been added, website users click on "show me the calendar" and are taken to a short sequence of what is occuring with plant blooms (first bloom or...

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Amy Stone

Must See Website - Mary Gardiner, Department of Entomology

We have a website that you will want to be sure is included in your list of favorites!  Dr. Mary Gardiner is an Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist in the Department of Entomology and doing some amazing work in Ohio.  Dr. Gardiner received her PhD from Michigan State University in 2008 and established the Agricultural Landscape Ecology Laboratory (ALE Lab) in 2009.  The ALE Lab is interested in understanding how the design and management of an urban greenspace or agroecosystem influences food web structure and function. 

 

Some of the ALE website highlights...

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Amy Stone

Night-Flying Buzz-Bumbling Beetles on the Wing

The familiar "bzzzzzzz...thud!" sound made by May/June Beetles as they fly around porch lights at night and bounce off walls, doors, windows, startled homeowners, etc., is now being heard in southwest Ohio.  There are five species of beetles in the genus Phyllophaga in Ohio that share the general common name of May or June Beetles.  The 1/2 - 1" long adults are slightly oblong, and reddish-brown to black in color.  Their obnoxious evening behavior often causes them to be dismissed as nuisance pests.  In most cases, this is true.  Although adults of most of these species feed at...

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Joe Boggs

Eastern Tent Caterpillars Coming Off Some Nests in S.W. Ohio

The pace of Eastern Tent Caterpillar (ETC) (Malacosoma americanum) development varies widely in southwest Ohio.  However, some caterpillars have reached their final instar stage and are abandoning their highly visible silk nests located in branch forks to go on a crawl-about in search of pupation sites.  Their abandoned nests will remain evident throughout much of the early summer as they gradually disintegrate.

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Joe Boggs

Sneaky Cankerworms Have Inched Onto the Scene

Tattered tree leaves are the calling card of cankerworms.  Spring Cankerworms (Paleacrita vernata) and Fall Cankerworms (Alsophilia pometeria) are currently producing leaf-feeding damage in southwest Ohio.  Both belong to the moth family Geometridae.  Caterpillars of moths in this family are also called "inchworms," "spanworms, and "loopers."  The common names of spring and fall cankerworms refer to the season when the flightless female moths lay their eggs.  Fall cankerworm moths lay eggs in the fall; spring cankerworms lay their eggs in the spring.  However, the eggs of...

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Joe Boggs

Black Knot Not Black

Black Knot of Prunus is caused by the fungus, Apiosporina morbosa, and is characterized by thick, corky, elongated gall-growths on twigs and branches.  The common name of the disease is based on the coal-black coloration of older galls late in the growing season. Currently, newly sporulating black knot galls are olive-green or reddish brown and may have a velvety texture.  Newly forming galls may appear as simple swollen growths causing the bark to crack; they may be mistaken for a cankering disease.
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Joe Boggs

Holey Oak Leaves

The handiwork of the spiny oak sawfly (Periclista albicollis) is becoming very apparent on the developing leaves of bur and white oaks in southwest Ohio.  The small, light-green semi-transparent spiny oak sawfly larvae have shiny black head capsules and are covered with rows of forked (bifurcated) spines.  Early instars primarily feed on the underside of newly emerging and expanding leaves.  They produce small holes that get larger as the leaves expand.  Later instars consume interveinal tissue leaving behind the main veins to give the oak leaves a tattered appearance.  Look...

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Joe Boggs

Junipers Garnished with Tangerine Tentacles and Orange Goo.

Our wet weather this spring has triggered spectacular spore production by three types of rust fungi on junipers in southwest Ohio.  All three fungi belong to the genus Gymnosporangium and each must alternate between a member of the plant genus Juniperus and members of the rose family (Rosaceae) in order to complete their life cycle.  The requirement to cycle between two types of widely divergent host plants coupled with the rusty color of their spores earns these fungi the collective moniker of "heteroecious" rusts.

 

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Joe Boggs

Burrowing Crayfish Chimneys Rise Above Turfgrass.

Mud "chimneys," the nuisance handiwork of Terrestrial or Burrowing Crayfish are rising above turfgrass in central and southwest Ohio.  There are several species of burrowing crayfish, but most belong to two genera:  Cambarus and Fallicambarus.  Like their aquatic cousins, these crayfish use gills to extract oxygen from water.  However, unlike their water-soaked cousins, burrowing crayfish spend most of their lives on land.  They must dig their burrows down to ground water so they have a ready source of oxygen.  This connection to a high water table explains why most...

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Joe Boggs

Control Poison Hemlock Now!

This non-native invasive weed is among the most deadly plants in North America.  This biennial weed spends its first year as a basal rosette and the second year as an erect, towering flowering plant that can measure 6-10' tall.  Despite its common name, poison hemlock is not a tree; it is a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae (formerly Umbelliferae).

 

Poison Hemlock Plants in the Spring

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Joe Boggs

Heavy Maple Seed Production

Apparently, the sporadic freeze-frost events that occurred this spring in southwest and central Ohio caused little damage to maple flowers and developing seed.  Almost all species of maples in those parts of the state are festooned with heavy seed (a.k.a. "helicopter seed," "maple spinners,").  Abundant winged maple seeds (samaras) in the spring can draw both the attention and wrath of landscapers and homeowners.  Trees shift energy to support heavy seed production at the expense of leaf expansion which makes "seedy trees" look unhealthy.  The overall sickly appearance is enhanced once...

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Joe Boggs

Jack Frost Just Doesn't Give Up!

Certain areas of Northeastern Ohio woke up Sunday morning to find that a hard frost had developed overnight covering turf, picnic tables and decks.  Many ornamental plants and fruit trees had swollen buds and even some scattered blooms evident.  The phone calls from concerned citizens started coming in wanting to know if all was lost regarding the fruit trees and blueberries for this year.  So I went out to see what had happened to the potential fruit crop for the coming season.

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Erik Draper

Be Wary of Canada Geese!

Canada geese have paired up by this time of year and many females are already sitting on nests with eggs. Be cautious around the geese and give them space. Right now, the goose pair's main objective is to protect that nest. The male spends much of his time guarding the female, whether she is eating, resting, or sitting on the nest. Several times in the past few weeks, I have encountered a goose pair and each time they have behaved defensively. Once I backed away and gave them some space, there was no problem. If a goose approaches you, starts bobbing its head, hissing, or flapping its...

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Marne Titchenell

Spring Bird Watching is Fantastic

With the recent pleasant spring weather, I hope many of you have had some time to get outside with your binoculars for a few hours of quality birding! Migrant songbirds have been making their way back to Ohio from warmer, tropical regions for the past several weeks now. Turkey vultures are soaring, Canada geese are nesting and many songbirds can be heard calling as their nesting season gears up. Eastern phoebes, red-winged blackbirds, yellow-rumped warblers, brown thrashers, blue gray gnatcatchers, wood thrush, hooded warblers, and common yellowthroats are just a few of the migrants that...

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Marne Titchenell

Overwintered European Elm Flea Weevils are Attacking Their Namesake Hosts

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.  Adults produce small feeding holes and females produce additional damage by laying eggs into mid-rib veins and major lateral veins of the leaves.

As leaves expand, the feeding holes become larger and more apparent producing the characteristic "shothole" leaf damage associated with this weevil.  Damage caused by oviposition also becomes more noticeable with...

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Joe Boggs

European Pine Sawfly Larvae are Munching Mugos

 

Early instar European pine sawfly (Neodiprion sertifer) larvae are now large enough to cause noticeable damage to their pine hosts which include Scotch, mugo, red, jack, Table mountain, and Swiss mountain pines.  White and Austrian pines are occasional hosts.  The larvae are grayish-green with bulbous shiny black head capsules; their color and small size make the difficult to see as they feed on the needles. 

All larval stages feed in colonies and practice the same feeding behavior.  They start by aligning themselves with their head at the tip of a needle and...

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Joe Boggs

Overwintered Calico Scale Females are Puffing Up and Dripping Honeydew

Overwintered calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) females are now "puffing-up" and pumping out impressive quantities of clear, sugary honeydew in southwest Ohio.  This is a non-native "soft scale" meaning that mature scales are protected by a soft shell.  The scale's common name comes from the starkly contrasting calico pattern of black-and-white markings on the hemispherical-shaped shells of mature females.  The mature females measure about 1/4" in diameter and their distinct markings make them easy to recognize, particularly on bark and branches that are blackened by sooty mold...

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Joe Boggs

Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Will Begin Gypsy Moth Treatments

On Thursday, April 20, 2016, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced that they will soon begin aerial treatments designed to control the gypsy moth population in Ohio.  Treatments on 1,474 acres in Perry, Ross and Scioto Counties will begin in late April, as larva and leaf development reaches the optimal threshold for treatment.

 

Brett Gates with ODA shared that treatments are administered using a low-flying aircraft that flies just above tree tops just like the photo shared with this article online.  High humidity, low...

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Amy Stone

Earth Day Can Be Everyday in the Green Industry

On Friday, April 22, 2016 people across the world will be observing Earth Day.  United State Senator Gaylord Nelson was the founder and organizer of first Earth Day.  Observed beginning in 1970, Earth Day was developed as a day of education about environmental issues.  In 1990, Earth Day went global.  According to the Earth Day Network (EDN), over 200 million people in over 140 nations participate in this observation.  Some areas celebrate not just a single day, but rather an entire week. And the green industry could be recognized for celebrating Earth Day all year long! 

 

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Amy Stone

From Snow to Sunshine

If you have lived in Ohio for any length of time, you have probably heard someone say, "if you don't like the weather, just wait, because it will change."  There was a big weather change that occurred just over a week ago.  On Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, a storm bringing snow blew through Ohio.  Snowfall totals ranged from minor accumulations, up to 12".  Northwest Ohio seemed to get the brunt of the storm, and Toledo made the national news as the surprising April snow storm caught some off guard.  The snowfall total last weekend exceed any other measurable snowfall totals from...

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Amy Stone

Spruce - Phomopsis Canker

Branch dieback in spruce can have many causes such as the generalized dieback we see as roots fail from root rot or various root injuries. Cytospora canker is a very well-known disease of spruce, particularly blue spruce (Picea pungens). A dead branch in a spruce is often attributed to Cytospora but that is not always the case as was evident in a recent blue spruce sample.

 

Look closely at the dying branch. Trace the dead and dying tissue back to where it transitions to healthy. Carefully scrape the bark at that transition looking for discoloration of the...

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Nancy J. Taylor

New BYGL Ready for Review

The new BYGL website for 2016 is now available.  On the home page you will see many interesting ideas related to navigation, presenation and visual identity.

  • PHOTOS -  The top banner is a rotating set of timely graphics linking to selected stories while along the bottom of the site is a visual navigation to each of the most recent articles.
  • CONVENIENCE - The main menu enables users to access anything in just one click.  Learn about: usage permissions, profiles of ENLT Team members, browsing articles, searching...
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Tim Rhodus

Invasive Species and Smartphone Technology

Non-native Invasive species issues are commanding a lot of natural resource professional's attention these days. Whether it concerns insects, diseases, plants, mammals or aquatic species there is something out there for everyone! One thing that is true across the board is that early detection is key to dealing more effectively with all of these.

 

As a group of Extension professionals were discussing our new Asian longhorned beetle infestation in 2011 we kept coming back to how do we get these things reported early when they are still on a relatively small scale. We were...

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Kathy Smith

Silver Maple Flower Fascination

Ever wonder why when passing a Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) in flower, one week the blooms appear to be a green-yellowish cast and then suddenly, a little while later, the blooms appear to have turned red?  Then the questions begin like, did I misidentify the tree or did I really see light yellow blooms on the branches?  First and foremost, you are not going crazy, and in the case of the silver maple, it is perfectly normal to see both colors of blooms!  According to Micheal A. Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, silver maple blooms are described as follows: "...

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Erik Draper

Eastern Tent Cats to Arrive Soon

The accumulated Growing Degree Days (GDD) that predicts eastern tent caterpillar (ETC) (Malacosoma americanum) egg hatch is 92.  Cincinnati has reached 89 GDD meaning that ETC eggs are poised to begin hatching in southwest Ohio.  ETC spends the winter in shiny, blackish-brown egg masses wrapped around twigs on their host plants.  A close examination will reveal that the eggs are encased in a structure that resembles bubble-wrap.

 

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Joe Boggs

MGVs Connect With Community Garden Organization

Last week, Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) Interns from Lucas County held their weekly class at the Robert Anderson Urban Agriculture Center in Toledo, Ohio.  The Center is home to Toledo GROWs - Gardens Revitalize Our World, the community garden outreach of the Toledo Botanical Garden.  In addition to spending time in the classroom, MGVs also were able to tour the Center that included seeing the farm stand, greenhouses, bee hives, chickens, and outdoor growing areas. 

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Amy Stone

New Book: Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf

A book review recommendation for all is a wondrous book by Andrea Wulf, titled The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt’s New World.    

 

How is this for reviews of this life: “One of the great ornaments of his age.” from Thomas Jefferson.

 

“Nothing ever stimulated my zeal so much as reading ‘Humboldt’s Personal Narrative” from Charles Darwin, and according to Andrea Wulf “…saying he would not have boarded the Beagle, nor conceived of the “Origin of Species” without Humboldt.”

 

Quoting from Wulf...

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Jim Chatfield

Spring Cankerworms Appreciate Warm Weather!

As I was walking into one of the offices on The Ohio State University Campus this morning, a small grey-colored moth caught my eye.  Upon closer inspection it was a male of the spring cankerworm, Paleacrita vernata (Lepidoptera, Geometridae)!  After my meeting I walked around the building and quickly spotted one of the females, also on a wall. The females are unusual in that they have no wings.  They look like little fuzzballs!  The females release a pheromone which attracts males for mating.  Soon after mating, the females attach eggs, usually onto potential host trees, mainly...

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Dave Shetlar

Sampling Seedlings for Diagnosis

A good sample is critical for successful diagnosis.  Recently, seedlings were received at OSU’s C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic.  Diagnosticians often examine poorly packaged samples which arrive in poor condition. 

Seedling samples are challenging to package and ship; they deteriorate rapidly.  Send the entire tray if they are being produced as plugs or cut out a portion of the tray to allow samples to arrive in the best condition.  If plugs are being removed from the tray wrap the roots and associated media in foil or plastic wrap to keep the media on the roots...

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Nancy J. Taylor

Heavenly Hellebores

Now that winter seems to have finally arrived, we will soon be seeing some harbingers of spring; the nodding flowers of hellebores.  There are approximately 15 species within the Helleborus genus.  The most commonly found are Helleborus niger (Christmas rose) and Helleborus orientalis (Lenten rose), most cultivars found in stores are hybrids of Helleborus orientalis and are listed as Helleborus x hybridus.  Despite its common name it is not closely related to the rose family.

 

In spite of its beauty and other attractive...

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Jacqueline Kowalski

Skunk Love is in the Air!

The skunk mating season is underway (mid-February – April), and homeowners may see an increase of skunks this time of year, or rather smell an increase in skunks! Male skunks are polygamous and right now are traveling far and wide in search of females, which accounts for the increase in sightings and smellings this time of year. During these travels and times of increased activity, skunks are more likely to encounter threats, and therefore spray. Skunks spray for the primary reason of defense from a perceived threat. That threat could be a human, pet, or another wild animal....

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Marne Titchenell

Painted Hickory Borers Show Up in Homes

At this time of the year, we often get reports of folks seeing the locust borer, Megacyllene robiniae, in their homes!  In fact, they are finding the painted hickory borer, Megacyllene caryae.  Both beetles are in the same genus and they look nearly identical unless you hold them side-by-side.  The adult beetles are just over an inch in length and generally black with yellow bands and chevrons across their backs.  The locust borer has larvae that can attack black locust trees and the adults are commonly seen on goldenrod in September until the first killing frost hits. ...

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Dave Shetlar