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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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)

  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...

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).

  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...

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...

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. 

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...

  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...

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...