New Pest on the Horizon
Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive species originating from China. Pennsylvania was the first state to detect the insect in 2014. The population of SLF rapidly spread to neighboring states and is now making its way through the Midwest!Continue Reading
Cambistat: More Than Just A Growth Regulator
Limiting canopy growth can be useful in many cases: trees under electrical wires, trees close to buildings, construction damage, and urban trees with limited root zones.Continue Reading
PHC Curveball: Fungus Weather
We’ve had it again: the kind of weather that breaks records. Three years ago, we had a record-breaking wet spring; this spring has broken that record. Wet weather has dominated the first half of the 2024 growing season. Evidence of thriving fungi is everywhere to be seen.Continue Reading
One Gall, Two Gall, Red Gall, Blue Gall
Like something out of a children’s story book, galls come in many different shapes and sizes. Galls are also a common type of damage affecting tree leaves, needles, and/or twigs. Their size and shape can range from pointy to round and small or large. The color of a gall can be a simple brown, a bright red, or even blue. This leaf damage can be quite visible and easy to search for too!Continue Reading
How to Revive A Tree With Yellow Leaves In Wisconsin’s Landscapes
A tree with yellow leaves in your landscape can be concerning. View our guide for causes of tree leaves turning yellow and how to revive your tree’s health. Continue Reading
The EAB Time Machine — Revisited
Ten years ago, I wrote an article for this newsletter about the state of emerald ash borer (EAB) and what the future of ash trees looked like then. If you have kept past newsletters, you will find the full article in the winter 2013 issue. At that time, EAB was relatively new in our area and most ash were not yet affected by this destructive insect. Fast forward to today, we have progressed upward on the mortality curve. Thankfully, death does not overrun the current story for all ash trees.Continue Reading
Bark Beetles– Tiny Adversaries that Cannot Be Ignored
Instead of concentrating only on the most important Ips bark beetle, I thought it might be useful to consider all the major types to see how they work, why they are a concern, and how we can deal with them.Continue Reading
Invasive Pests on the Horizon
We are all too familiar with the destruction that a single pest or pathogen can bring to our trees. Two of the most evident examples from the recent past would be Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and Dutch Elm Disease. Thankfully, pests of this significant nature are not common. We can use lessons learned from them to help us manage future issues since we know the importance of proactive management. Now, we are monitoring two potentially threatening insects: a resurgence of Spongy Moth and a potential of a new insect called Spotted Lanternfly.Continue Reading
Carnac Predictions for 2023
Although I don’t claim to be a “seer,” like Johnny Carson’s Carnac (remember him from late night television years ago?), it is always fun to contemplate the dynamics of all the variables that affect the various insect, disease, and environmental responses that the plants in our landscapes will show throughout the 2023 growing season.Continue Reading