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.
Published on
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.
Published on
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.
Published on

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.
Published on
Authors
Joe Boggs