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.

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...

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

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.

Diagnostics – why good plants go bad – is a big part of what we do at OSU Extension and a key skill for all horticulturists. I was doing a walkabout yesterday at the Secrest Arboretum just outside my office in Wooster, OH and took a few pictures.

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...

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.

There is a lot of "buzz" on bees and other pollinators in the news. People are interested and want to know what they can do to help the cause. 

  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,...

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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