On my recent trip up to our local IGA, I had to look twice at this Honeylocust. Were those Flowers? Leaves? Buds? No, they were Lichen. The question is always “Will they hurt or kill the tree?”

Rising spring temperatures have been rousing fall home invaders from their winter slumber inside wall voids, attics, etc. The intruders migrated into these spaces last fall through openings around window frames and door jams. Attics with unscreened outdoor vents or poorly fitting soffits can become 5-star bug hotels.

Is this wintery weather keeping you from your spring wildflower hike? View these splendors of spring from the comfort of your browser in this three-part series on Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers.

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.

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...

As I drove to work today, I saw first-hand the impact cover crops had on a farm field. Check out the difference in color!

Don't let its name scare you away! Helleborus foetidus, commonly referred to as stinking hellebore, is an evergreen perennial that tops out at about 24 inches. Both the flowers and leaves can give off a scent that some may find unpleasant, which leads to its common name. 

There is just something about flowers in the spring. It is that sign of hope that many of us need after a long the winter season. Flowers can be even more striking against the blue sky as shown below.

 

Photo Credit: Amy Stone, OSU Extension - Lucas County...

While Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been on the radar of many, last week, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) sent out a release that communicated that HPAI had been detected in a backyard flock in Franklin County.

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.