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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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). ...

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...

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...

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...

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.