March and April Flowers for Pollinators

Native Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis flowers before leaves appear in early spring

Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty.”
— William Shakespeare

Native red maple Acer rubrum

In late March there are signs that spring is here. Snow is usually gone, and although no leaves have appeared on our deciduous trees and shrubs, there may be flowers that will provide early bees with their first meal of the year. Red maples bloom early and provide food for many pollinators like flies, bees and beetles that are just emerging in the spring. While some native plants flowering coincides with native bee activity, there are also non- native plants that can be of great value to early pollinators.

Skunk cabbages produce heat and appear through the snow in February

Skunk cabbages are our first native bloomers. They can arise in wetlands when snow still covers the ground. Honeybees, native bees, some moths and flies visit these putrid flowers as early as late February and then into March.

Honeybee on skunk cabbage flower

One of the first harbingers of spring is the appearance of native Colletes inaequalis ground-nesting bees which can be seen visiting the first flowers of spring. Look for them on native and non- native ornamental willow flowers in late March, and soon after that on native bloodroot.

Native bloodroot

Non-native Japanese andromeda shrubs, Pieris japonica, can bloom as early as late February and can be an important food source for bees that appear before native willows bloom. There are many varieties, some tall and others more compact and they may have white, red or bicolored, drooping, urnlike flowers. They do best in sunny locations with afternoon shade.

Red flower variety of Japanese andromeda

Native bloodroot can form small colonies on sunny woodland edges, and their bright white flowers are often the highlight of the still monochromatic landscape. Flowers open on sunny days and close by night.

Common bluets, commonly called Quaker ladies Houstonia caerulea, are small, blue native wildflowers with four petals and a distinctive yellow center. Many bee species, butterflies and syrphid and other flies visit these low- growing plants for nectar and pollen. They can appear as early as late March, depending upon the temperatures. Flowering can last into early July.

Native bluets

Native red or purple trillium Trillium erectum appears a little after bloodroot, and supports certain moths, bees and flies. Look for it in dry woodland areas with highly acidic soils where there is some sun, especially where there are mountain laurels. It often is found where there are ramps and bloodroot.

Native purple trillium

Trailing arbutus and round- lobed hepatica are native wildflowers of open woodlands. They are uncommon, or perhaps seem so because they are found in very small areas with specific soil and other site conditions. Pollinators are flies and specialist native bees.

Trailing arbutus

Native twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla produces its bloodroot-like white flowers as early as March and as late as June. A single flower arises on a leafless stalk above the peculiar joined leaves that resemble wings. These flowers attract bees, especially specialized foragers.

Twinleaf

Currants, especially the extremely fragrant clove currant, plus josta berry, a cross between currant and gooseberry, are favorites of bumblebees and other native bees. The clove currant fragrance must be what the island of Zanzibar smalls like as travellers approach it by boat.

Clove currant flowers

Dwarf ginseng Panax trifolius L. is a native woodland wildflower that is only 4-8 inches tall. The airy cluster of small flowers appear in early to late spring and since plants grow in the duff of woodlands, the flower heads, although very small, can help find these little plants.

Dwarf ginseng

Among the non-native flowering shrubs that support native pollinators is the Rhododendron mucronulatum ‘Cornell Pink’. This plant blooms in early April before the leaves appear. Many native bees including Osmia spp., Colletes inaequalis and Bombus spp. and wasps visit the flowers. Cornus mas, or Cornelian cherry, is a non-native shrub or small tree whose flowers line the branches before the leaves appear.

“Cornell Pink’ Rhododendron muconulatum

Non-native Cornus mas

Ornamental plants like violas and pansies also attract spring pollinators, and dandelions have a great pollen source for spring and summer bees alike.

Tiny bee covered with dandelion pollen

Native Amelanchier, also called shadbush and serviceberry blooms in April and attracts many bees and other pollinators. Its delicate racems of white flowers can be profuse and stand out as leaves are not fully expanded. Many specialized bees are supported by this small tree or multithemed shrub.

Amelanchier spp.

 Star magnolias, Magnolia stellata, bloom in April before leaves are out. These trees support many pollinator species and butterflies like spring azures and tiger swallowtails that are out in early spring.

Star magnolia

There are many other plants for pollinators in early spring- daffodils, crocus, currants to name a few.  As I hike around at this time of year, I take note of which flowers the most pollinators are attracted to, and I may decide to add some of these to my own gardens. I also stop to enjoy all the new colors and textures coming into the landscape. I appreciate Algernon Charles Swinburne’s comment-

“Blossom by blossom the spring begins.”

Pamm Cooper

Violas

 

Plant Galls Caused by Insects and Mites

Galls formed on a red maple leaf by the maple eyespot gall midge

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Aristotle

Galls that occur on plants may be caused by insects or mites, nematodes, bacteria, fungi, or viruses. I think the more interesting ones are those formed by insects and mites. Plants that have rapid growth in spring are especially vulnerable to gall-forming insects, but often galls go unnoticed until later in the season. The chewing of the insects produces salivary secretions that cause an increase in growth hormone production in the plant tissue. This causes an increase in either cell size or cell number and results in abnormal plant tissue growth called a gall.

Galls likely from Eriophyid mites on poison ivy

Inside developing galls, the immature mite or insect feeds where it has protection from most predators. In the case of stem galls produced on goldenrods, the fly larvae inside may be eaten by woodpeckers who are savvy to the protein morsel that lies within. Leaf galls are normally not a health issue for the plant as enough unaffected tissue can still effectively photosynthesize.

Willow pinecone galls are produced a midge, Rabdophaga strobiloides 

 Black cherry spindle galls are the most common of the galls caused by Eriophyid spp. of mite. As the name suggests, they are found only on native black cherry, Prunus serotina, and especially on young saplings. Small finger-like galls are formed on new leaves in early spring on the upper sides of leaves. They are green at first, and then turn a bright red, and often occur in large numbers that are tightly packed. Leaves produced later in the spring and throughout the rest of the growing season will not be affected, as there is only one generation of this mite per year.

Spindle or finger galls on black cherry

Another unusual gall caused by an Eriophyid spp. of mite is the birch Erineum or velvet gall. This gall looks like pink fairy dust was sprinkled on the tops of the leaves and which then got very hard.  These galls can also be found on maple, linden and certain viburnums.

Velvet birch gall

Grape tube gallmaker galls occur on wild and cultivated grapes. The Cedidomynia viticola midge lays eggs on the grape leaf, and the leaf then responds by producing pointed tube galls. This gall maker is not of economic importance.

Grape tubemaker galls on wild grape

Cockscomb galls on elm are caused by an aphid, Colopha ulmicola. Aphid nymphsemerge in spring from eggs laid on elm twigs and begin feeding on newly emerged leaves, producing a gall that grows around the nymph. Green at first, the gall turns red later in the summer. Winged adults emerge from the leaf galls and fly to nearby grasses where they produce offspring that feed on grass roots. As these nymphs become winged adults in the fall, they fly to elms and lay eggs, and the cycle begins anew.

This elm cockscomb gall will turn red by summer’s end

Aspen petiole galls are formed by the Contarinia petioli midge and are found on cottonwoods and aspens. Each gall contains a single larva, which exits the gall in the autumn to pupate on the ground. This gall is formed at the leaf petiole and does not affect the leaf functions.

This red aspen petiole gall is hard to miss

Oaks seem to have the greatest variety of galls, especially those caused by gall-forming wasps. There are wooly galls, nipple galls, jumping galls and oak apple galls to name a few. The banded bullet gall wasp Dryocosmus imbricariae produces rather attractive twig galls.

Banded bullet wasp galls

The wool sower gall is caused by the tiny Callirhytis seminator wasp, and appears only on oaks, especially white oaks. The wooly galls resemble a toasted marshmallow as it turns from white to brown over time. Inside the gall are small, hairy seed-like structures, each containing a single, developing wasp larva. These structures get darker during the year and by late summer the entire gall is brown.

The wool sower galls later in the summer

Acorn pip galls, caused by the diminutive wasp Callirhytis quercusoperator, are located between the cap and the acorn. When the white gall pushes out, after the acorn has fallen prematurely, there is a tiny triangular hole left. These galls are generally found on red oaks. Ants sometimes chew the pip galls out of the acorn.

Two acorn pip galls pushing out

Colorful maple eyespot galls are caused by a midge, hickories are hosts for a large variety of gall forming insects, and willows have an interesting cone gall that occurs on new branch tips. There are also galls that form on herbaceous plants- the most identifiable ones being those on goldenrod stems caused by a stem gall fly. Downy woodpeckers go after the larva inside the gall.

Left- goldenrod rosette gall right- goldenrod stem gall

The next time you come across some interesting galls, see if you can break one open and find out if an insect is inside. The mystery will be solved, if so. It could be a nymph, a pupa or, rarely, an adult getting ready to chew its way out. Oak apple galls are the most interesting, especially if you find a female wasp that has just emerged from its pupal case.

Oak apple gall

Female oak apple gall wasp emerged minutes before from the apple gall

Galls on hickory leaf caused by a Caryomyia species midge

Pamm Cooper

 

Mushrooms, Wildflowers and Other Jewels of September

Common buckeye butterfly

“Happily we bask in this warm September sun, which illuminates all creatures.” -Henry David Thoreau

September dawn

There are so many interesting things going on in the landscape at this time of year. In residential settings there may be migrating birds and butterflies if there is a good food supply. Animals may be helping themselves to fruits and seeds near homes as well. Most creatures are benign, not harmful to people, animals, garden plants and crops. They are just going about their daily routine for survival. The few that are pests can give the whole of their kind a bad rap.

Nymph likel;y of a Miridae family true bug

One that comes to mind is the saddleback slug moth caterpillar, an interesting creature which has no legs and instead creeps along like a bulldozer on medial suckers. Spines cover the tiny body which release a chemical that causes painful stings to the skin when brushed against. The markings on this caterpillar are singular and allow it to blend in with leavers having brown areas late in the season. If not touched, it is just a point of interest and is not a pest or otherwise harmful to the host plant.

Saddleback caterpillar showing its array of urticating spines

This year has been a wet one and wild mushrooms are more abundant than last year, as a walk in the woods will make plain. Laetiporus sulphureus- chicken of the woods- is a spectacular find as far as wild fungi go. It is orange or yellow and cream on the upper surfaces and is normally found in groups. The one I came across was on a fallen tree in the deep woods.

Chicken of the woods fungi on a forest log

Finding puffballs ready to burst provides a good opportunity to help them along a little bit. I like to give them a good squeeze and watch the action. The wood hedgehog mushroom has tooth-like hymenophores, not gills, and the common name is a direct reference to how the cap looks turned upside-down.

Squeezing a puffball- the excitement never ends…

The wood hedgehog toothed fungus cap undersides

Pinesap and Indian pipe seem to be popping up everywhere from leaf litter in hardwood forests. These Monotropa spp. are saprophytes and must tap into nutrients from trees via mycorrhizal fungi under the soil. Neither plant has chlorophyll, so shade is no obstacle for their well-being.

Pinesap

Goldenrods and asters color the roadsides and road trips may pass by tobacco barns with the laths of leaves hanging to dry. White baneberry berries are easy to spot- they look like white doll’s eyes on a stick. Other fruits from pokeberries to the blue fruit of Virginia creeper also add some color to the landscape.

Fruit of the white baneberry

Late blooming wetland wildflowers like closed gentians, cardinal flower and turtlehead are in bloom now. I recently came across an unusual two-storied closed gentian along the edge of a bog. This was an unexpected side dish on a search for caterpillars near this area.

Closed/bottle gentian found on the edge of a bog

Lately there have been a lot of small gray trees frogs on plants, screens, in window boxes and other places where they hang out during the day. These little frogs can change color to match their surroundings, so they can be hard to spot when they are resting on green plants when they are green themselves.

Gray tree frog on turtlehead

Fawns still have their spots and remain near their mothers. I had a close encounter with a pair and their mother while walking through a pasture on Horsebarn Hill here on the UConn campus. They were more curious about me than skittish, so I was able to draw a lot closer to them than is normally the case.

Fawn on Hoesebarn Hill

September often is the last hurrah for pleasant days, the last flowers of the season and a green landscape. Insects are still around as long as plants will provide food, and sunsets are getting very colorful. Fruits are adding color to trees and shrubs and lawns are their best green of the year. It is also a good time to learn about the different species of oaks by not only their leaves, but by their acorns.

“Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts who stood their ground.”

Henry David Thoreau

Pamm Cooper

 

Nature Finds and Happenings in the Summer of 2023

Tiger Swallowtail on Purple Coneflower

How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!

–Emily Dickinson

This year, 2023, has been one for the record books. We have had smoky hazes from Canadian wildfires, rain events we could have used last year, and several microbursts just this week in late July in Connecticut. Plants have bloomed way early, achieved higher than normal heights in gardens and lots of butterflies have been noticeably absent, or have been very few until recently. That said, there are treasures to be found in our tiny dot on the globe.

White pines lost their tops in a recent microburst in Manchester

I was made aware by a fellow nature enthusiast that there was a spectacular native plant that I have never seen before blooming now in her neck of the woods. I checked it out, and I was not disappointed by her generous clue as to where to find these gems. The plant is the fringed yellow orchis, Platanthera ciliaris, also known as the orange-fringed bog- orchid.  It is listed as extremely rare in Connecticut on the GoBotany website. Found in grassy bogs, this plant features racemes of yellow to orange flowers that have a showy fringed lip and a very long, slender spur. They are pollinated by butterflies, especially swallowtails.

Native orange fringed orchid- flowers can be yellow or orange

Fringed lip of the

Cicada killers are making their presence known. These large wasps with amber colored wings dig nesting chambers deep in the soil, usually sandy or dry soils, and they can make a mess while doing so as sand is piled up in the lawn or garden. Females drag paralyzed cicadas into the chamber, lay an egg on the body and are done with that chamber. While females can sting, they are not aggressive, and they are only active in the digging phase for a couple of weeks.

Cicada killer

On a recent visit to a nature center, I found a fabulous (for a spider) arrow spider Micrathena sagittata. They are small orb weavers, and they resemble a Gibson Flying V electric guitar.

Arrow spider

Nearby was a snowberry clearwing moth, one of two clearwing sphinx moths that hover near flowers like a hummingbird. The caterpillar of the snowberry clearwing uses any honeysuckle as a host plant.

Snowberry clearwing sphinx moth

Caterpillar of the snowberry clearwing moth

At the same place were a number of walking sticks, a well-turned-out orange leaf footed bug nymph, and a female aphid giving birth to live young. She can have a family of a hundred in a few days, so that explains why aphids are hard to control.

Female aphid giving birth to live young

In a butterfly- pollinator garden in a nearby town, the Crocosmia is blooming. The flowers of this variety were brilliant red, so they are likely the ‘Lucifer’ variety, around since 1966. Hummingbirds love this flower, as do many people. There was also a native vine called the groundnut, Apis americana, twining across goldenrods and Joe-pye in a field.

Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’

Groundnut

The Connecticut tobacco crop seems on schedule, some plants flowering now as would be expected. I have no idea if diseases or insects are worse than usual for this historical crop of the Connecticut River Valley. To my eye, as I zip by the tobacco fields in my car, it all looks green and healthy.

Tobacco plants in a field surround a tobacco barn used for drying the crop

With all the heavy rains of late, the field of crops along the Connecticut River were lucky to stay above the floodwaters. The Glastonbury ferry was closed due to strong currents and high water. Some towns had microbursts or tornadoes this week, causing some damage to trees and property. In my town, a rural development area had damage from some wind event that went down a few blocks, clipping off the tops of mature white pines and downing trees.

Flooded corn fields along the Connecticut river in the background

Native wild plants lie Clethra, Joe-pye weed and buttonbush bloomed much earlier this year. I guess the weather has discombobulated a lot of plants. Haze from wildfires lasted a couple of weeks and caused some plants to grow taller than normal as they reached upward for the sun. Fluctuations in temperatures and decreased sunlight has fooled some woody plants into early leaf color change, but they are not dropping these leaves yet.

Native staghorn sumac has fall color in late July

Katydid nymph

Northern walking stick found in a field

With all the wind and rainstorms, wildfire smoke effects and temperatures that have gone up and down like Duncan yo-yos, I am wondering what normal is and so are my plants. At least the insects are not so confused, and neither are the birds. I guess that is something at least the birds can crow about…

Purple martins, young and old, on the UConn campus outside the W.B. Young Building

Pamm Cooper

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June Blooms for Pollinators

Megachile bee on perennial sweet pea

 “In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different.” ―John Steinbeck

June sees a significant increase in bee activity here in Connecticut. During the past two weeks on my own property the perennial flowers like catmint, yarrow, hyssops, beardtongue (Penstemon spp.) and giant plume flowers are in full bloom. Heuchera and astilbe are or will be blooming. Winterberries, mock orange, shrub dogwoods, and Itea virginica (sweetspire) shrubs are also in full bloom, and the bees are having a field day on all of these. By far, the most pollinator species on my plants are visitng hyssops, catmints, winterberries and  Itea and sea holly. Annuals like lantana and salvias help fill the gap between spring blooms and summer bloomers like Echinacea, Coreopsis, and mountain mints.

Bumblebee bee on native mountain laurel

I just planted a newer variety of winterberry called ‘Sunsplash’ near two old ‘Red Sprite’ winterberries, and all are teeming with many species of bees and other pollinators. I like the bright yellow contrast to the green leaves of this new winterberry- makes a sparkly, happy addition to the garden. I have the male counterparts of all my winterberries to ensure pollination and later, the optimum berry crop.

‘Sunsplash’ winterberry

Tucked in between the winterberries are a couple of sea hollies- Eryngium planum. These plants have a very interesting stem, bract, leaf and flower color- a chalky blue- purple that seems to change somewhat during the day depending upon the available sunlight. Flowers resemble thistle or teasel in form and shape. Little green sweat bees found the flowers minutes after the plants went in the ground. Many other bees, large and small, visit the flowers throughout the day.

Sea holly

Yellow bumblebee Bombus perplexus had a preference for sea holly and winterberries

Nepeta spp. catmints bloom for a long period, and can be cut back for rebloom. Although the flowers are small, bees of all kinds visit them, as do skippers and other small butterflies. There are a variety of smaller catmints that can be inserted into the garden that will not crowd out other plants.

Salvias are a great source of nectar for bees and butterflies, and most hang on to flowers until frost. Black and blue, red, and the ‘Rocking’ series are also a huge draw for hummingbirds. A favorite of mine is the salvia ‘Hot Lips’. Flowers are a combination of red, white or half red and half white. Most bloom until frost for added appeal.

A small native shrub, New Jersey tea, attracts pollinators of all types including flower beetles, bees, butterflies and syrphid flies. Flowers are airy clusters of white and are fragrant. The one drawback to this plant is its attraction to deer.

New Jersey Tea

Native bee on New Jersey tea

Hyssops of all kinds attract bees and butterflies. The most bees I am seeing is on the Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ (Giant Hyssop). This hyssop blooms earlier than most varieties, and its flower heads are large and puffy. Short-tongued bees enter the flowers, an bumblebees can be spotted with their rear ends and hind feet sticking out of the flowers.

Agastache hyssop “Blue Boa’

Bumblebee entering flower of “Blue Boa’

In the wild or in the landscape, Penstemon, hairy beardtongue, is a plus to any pollinator garden. In the wild, large colonies can form, which is useful in reducing travel efforts of our native bees. In the garden, planting quite of few of these plants in a group is very helpful to bees.

‘Husker Red’ Penstemon

Milkweeds are beginning to bloom now, butterfly weed being among the first to flower. Many pollinators and other interesting insect species have affinities toward milkweeds, making them a great addition to gardens and landscapes.

Megachile bee on Butterfly weed

Heuchera and Astilbe are often overlooked as pollinator plants, and these are especially useful in areas with good afternoon shade. Bees are not averse to being in the shade, and there are many plants that will benefit pollinators. Hostas have flowers for a while, and before and after that, foliage is of interest until cold weather arrives.

White variety of Astilbe

There are many other plants flowering in June that can supply nectar and pollen for our native butterflies and pollinators. If you have room, trees such as Catalpa and lindens are of great value. A note on this year- perhaps because of cool weather(?), the bloom periods of many plants like the Kpusa dogwoods have seemed to go on forever. And little, if any crabgrass has been seen yet, which may be a good thing for some people.

Bombus perplexus on Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’

Giant fleece flower Persicaria polymorpha gets over 5 feet tall

Red Valerian Centranthus ruber with green sweat bee and tiny katydid nymph

Tiny bee on Agastache buds

Bees and butterflies like annuals like Cosmos

Shrub dogwood

Annual Salvia ‘Hot Lips’

Check flowers for pollinator activity, and expect that to increase as the weather warms up. It is a satisfying aspect of gardening to know other creatures benefit from your efforts. Bees would send a thank you card, but they are not interested it doing so. Too busy…

Pamm Cooper

 

Outdoors in Late April and Early May 2023

Male red-winged blackbird singing

“Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.” Laura Ingalls Wilder

This spring has been one for the books, and I do not mean comic books. We had a week of 70 and 80 degree days with one day that was over 94 degrees. Then we went down to the 40’s and perhaps 50’ since then. Crabapples bloomed a little earlier than normal, with rainy or cloudy cold days with less bee activity. It is unclear how pollination was affected by these cold, cloudy days, as many fruit trees also were in bloom. Flowers are fading now and it is still relatively cold. Perhaps the more robust queen bumblebees will have taken up the slack.

Crabapples in full bloom on a cold, foggy day this May

Red oak flowers and new leaves

An unusual non-native spring- flowering plant, barrenwort, blooms from spring into summer. This plant can endure dense shade and droughts, and it is sometimes called Bishop’s hat. Large panicles have a profusion of colorful, dangling flowers that are very unusual. They have four sepals with the long, tapering slender, true petals forming a cup with the stamens inside.  

                                        

Unusual flower of barrenwort

Native wildflowers like trillium and bird’s foot violet should be in bloom now, and lady’s slippers, and columbine will flower shortly. Blue flag irises occur in wetlands, often in colonies. They are easily identified by the distinct blue to blue violet delicate-looking flowers. Their falls have white centers often with fluted yellow fringe.

Blue flag along a pond bank

Red trillium flower just before opening

Red (purple, wake robin) trillium flower and leaves

Insects in general have not been abundant due to the cold and cloudy weather conditions. Many pollinators have been absent from the abundance of dandelion flowers we have had this year. We finally had a warm, sunny day in early May and bees and other insects came out to celebrate that big event. One of them was the orange- collared scape moth,

Finally a bee!

The aptly named Orange-collared Scape Moth Cisseps fulvicollis

Peculiar- looking fruiting bodies are often seen on red cedars and some junipers this time of year. Small, woody galls form on twigs of the host evergreens the previous year. During wet weather, these galls produce orange, gummy horns that make them look like the head of Medusa. Spores will be released from these horns and infect crabapples and apples as they are windblown to their new host plant.

These are the orange, gelatinous fruiting bodies or telial horns of the cedar apple gall on a native cedar

The horns have dried up

We experienced a mini-drought this spring that came with forest fire warnings. Hiking along a large pond with a grove of white pines, my sister and I came upon proof that this warning was not for nothing. During the single thunderstorm we had during this time, lightning must have struck two dead pines and their was evidence of a small forest fire that was doused quickly by rain- no needles on the ground were burned.

Migrating and returning birds are slow to arrive or pass through, but this week they are here in abundance. Soon the woods will be full of the songs of veerys, wood thrushes and vireos, among others. A Wilson’s warbler was seen in scrub brush as it was passing through on its way to northern parts.

Wilson’s warbler

A pair of hooded merganzers in a woodland pond

Somebody cut off the bittersweet that choked this tree- I thank you and the tree thanks you!

Soon trees will be leafed out, birds will have started building nests and raising their young, days and nights will be warmer and gardens will be filling up with flowers. I am hoping we have a less hot and droughty summer than we had last year, but will deal with what we get. I cannot control everything that can go wrong in my gardens and nothing much less in nature. I must strive for the better way and not think so much about the bad, because I tend to get distracted from all the good things going on, too.

‘In acceptance, is peace’- Amy Carmichael.

Do you just really not want to mow? I do not know of any bees that eat dandelion seed heads…

Pamm Cooper

 

Considering Conifers 2

In early July, I wrote a post titled “Considering Conifers”, where I discussed a few pests, diseases, and abiotic issues that conifers face here in New England. Some mentioned in that post included witches’ broom, root rot disease, and bagworm feeding. With the holiday season upon us, I figured now would be a good time to continue that post by discussing a few additional pests and diseases.

One category of pests briefly mentioned in the previous conifer post was scales. Scales are slow-moving insects in the order Hemiptera with a protective covering, making management with insecticides alone more difficult. An integrated pest management (IPM) approach, using a combination of low-impact approaches, is usually the most effective approach for homeowners and commercial growers alike.

Targeting scales with insecticides is most successful when applying the product in the spring and early summer during the scales’ “crawler”, or immature, stage when they are more likely to come in contact with the insecticide. Be sure to apply the product following the instructions on the label and following any specific timeline established for the species of scale in question. Two common scale pests one might encounter on conifers include wooly hemlock adelgid (you might see these when decorating your hemlock outside) and cryptomeria scale (these are more likely to be on your cut Christmas tree, like Canaan fir or Fraser fir).

Cryptomeria scales are often called “fried egg scale” due to their appearance. They are found exclusively on the underside of needles. The photo above shows some previous beetle predation of the scales. Photo credit: Nick Goltz, DPM

Scout for pests like scales routinely during the growing season. If you notice scales on your cut Christmas tree, don’t worry – they are harmless to humas and don’t survive off the plant. If you notice scales on your conifers, you may want to introduce a biological control agent, like the twice-stabbed ladybird beetle (Chilocorus stigma) in early summer, particularly if you would prefer to use minimal insecticides. Be careful to not apply insecticides, especially products containing pyrethroids or bifenthrin, when the ladybird beetles are active as these products will kill them as well as the scale pest. For Christmas tree growers, trees that have heavy scale infestations should be removed when observed to prevent spread to healthy trees nearby.

Beyond insect pests, conifers are prone to fungal diseases as well. Some fungal pathogens cause needle drop, such as fungi in the genera Pestalotiopsis, Rhizosphaera, Cyclaneusma, Dothiostroma, Lecanosticta, and others. These pathogens tend to produce copious numbers of spores and spread to new trees vi wind and rain. Needles, usually beginning with the outer needles, will become discolored before falling off the tree.  Other fungi cause cankers and blight, such as those in the genera Neonectria, Caliciopsis, Diplodia, Seiridium, Fusarium, and others. These pathogens are more serious as they destroy vascular (cambium) tissue, resulting in reduced water movement, trunk lesions, and often an untimely death for the tree. Minimizing unnecessary wounding (such as through excessive or off-season pruning) and environmental stress (drought, freezing, etc.) will reduce the likelihood of canker diseases appearing.

Pestalotiopsis (shown above) and other needle drop fungi produce abundant spores, especially after rain during the growing season. Prune away and tissue that appears to be diseased. Either submit it to a diagnostic lab for identification, burn it, or throw it in refuse/compost off-site. Photo credit: Nick Goltz, DPM.

While some fungal diseases, such as Armillaria root rot, cubical brown rot/ crumbly rot, and others produce large fruiting bodies (shelf mushrooms) on the trunk/base of the tree, making identification of the cause of decline easier, other diseases can be complicated to diagnose without culturing in a lab. If you’re ever unsure what could be wrong with your plant, consider contacting the UConn Home and Garden Education Center at ladybug@uconn.edu to discuss your plant’s health and inquire about submitting a sample to the UConn Plant Diagnostic Laboratory. The UConn PDL is funded, in part, by the state of Connecticut and the USDA through IPM Extension Implementation and National Plant Diagnostic Network grants.

If you plan to submit a sample, be sure to do so BEFORE applying any fungicides for the season, or the pathogen may not be able to be cultured.

Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season and a safe and prosperous new year.

Nick

 

Outdoors in August 2022

Tobacco barn

“Keep calm because August is here.” – Unknown

This may be remembered as the year of drought and oppressive heat. Trees and shrubs are showing signs of stress in parts of the state that missed isolated rainfall events, and many fern species in shaded woods have turned brown. Animals are having a full-time job looking for water and birds are at my bird baths all day long getting a drink. Even though it has been a dismal year weather-wise, there are still a lot of interesting things to see when we are out and about.

Common buckeye butterfly on a wild Rudbeckia flower

The native trailing wild bean, Strophostyles helvola, may be common but easily overlooked as populations can be sparse in their habitat. Flowers are pink and the lower keel has a dark purple projection that curls upward like the raised trunk of an elephant. Leaflets are in threes, with bluntly lobed leaves.

Groundnut, Apias americana is another native pea family vine that blooms in August. The flowers of this plant are clustered and very fragrant and they are visited by many of the smaller native bees that can climb inside.

Groundnut flower cluster

In a field with mowed paths I recently observed a good number of the non- native wool carder bees on the flowers of birdsfoot trefoil. This plant is also member of the pea family and has yellow, puffy, slipper-like flowers.

Wool carder bee with head inside birdsfoot trefoil flower

This same field had thousands of grasshoppers that took flight as I walked along the path. Most seemed to be what I have nicknamed the ‘plus and minus” grasshopper, for the tiny patterns on the wings. There was also a seed bug on Queen Anne’s lace that had interesting vein patterns on its wing tips.

Wing tip vein patterns on seed bug

A little eft of the red spotted newt put in an appearance in a golf course fairway a couple of days after a heavy rain, as is their habit. They come out of the woods looking for food, seem to lose their way getting back to the safety of leaf litter and often need a rescue from mowers.

Eft returned to the safety of the woods

Katydids are another late summer insect that may be heard rather than seen. Their loud rasping ‘night music’ begins in late July and is joined by crickets by August.  

 Common true katydid

This morning I was out just before sunup and heard odd noises on the siding of the garage. I saw two dark forms moving up the siding and needed a flashlight to discover that they were gray tree frogs. Must have been some insects there they were hunting, I guess.

Gray tree frog climbing up the house

Tobacco is being harvested and hung in barns now. Any barn is something of interest to me, and tobacco barns in use are just one type I like. Any barn with a flag, too, for some reason. I am also a fan of playful or interestingly creative farm signs.

Something bad must have happened

I am hoping we come to the end of this drought in time for water supplies and plants to recover before winter. Just saw a monarch laying an egg on milkweed that hadn’t succumbed to aphid damage or drought, so that is something good. As you travel about outdoors, at any time of year, do not forget to look up. You may miss something…

Pamm Cooper

 

Identifying the Many Forms of Insect Feeding

Gardeners are no strangers to insect pests. While typically a mild nuisance, insect damage can weaken plants and lead them to be more susceptible to disease. There are even times when insect feeding alone can damage a plant sufficiently to kill it, so noticing when insect feeding is occurring and the different types of insect feeding damage are important skills for gardeners to keep in their tool belt.

The Nibblers

We all know these. Nibblers cause the most obvious type of feeding damage – the holes and leaves munched away. Insects that commonly cause this type of damage are grasshoppers (order Odonata), caterpillars (order Lepidoptera), immature sawflies (order Hymenoptera), and others with mandibles (mouthparts) made for chewing. Usually, the most economic way to deal with these pests is to simply pick them off of your plants when you observe them.

Although many types of Lepidopteran pests simply chew through leaves, some remove leaves (and needles!) to form casings needed for pupation and metamorphosis, as is the case with these bagworms (likely Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis). Photo credit: Nick Goltz

The Borers and Miners

This subgroup of the nibblers are tougher to deal with. While they have similar chewing mouthparts, they are the usually found within their plant hosts. Borers are usually beetles that chew through woody plants (order Coleoptera), though sometimes caterpillars (order Lepidoptera) chew through herbaceous plants (such as the squash vine borer, Melittia cucurbitae). Leafminers may also be Lepidopterans, though most are immature flies (order Diptera). They are best managed by using a systemic insecticide – one that is taken up by the plant and distributed throughout. As with all insecticides, be sure to apply following label instructions and not while pollinators are visiting the plant.

Beetles have bored through this wood. Some species burrow deeply into the plant’s vascular tissue while others burrow along the bark, forming tunnels called “galleries”. Both types of damage can be seen on this log in the Sonoma forest. Photo credit: Nick Goltz

The Piercing-suckers

These insect pests have a modified mouthpart called a stylet, which works like a straw. Piercing-sucking pests use their stylets to suck plant “juices” from soft tissue, stunting growth and causing leaf distortion, spotting, and reduced vigor. Common insects that cause this type of damage are aphids and whiteflies (both are order Hemiptera). Insects in this group are more likely to transmit viruses than those in most other orders.  

Aphids (order Hemiptera, family Aphididae) are the bane of many a gardener! They reproduce quickly and often target young, supple tissue like new leaves and flower buds. Above is a photograph of aphids feeding on my roses earlier this year. Photo credit: Nick Goltz

The Gall-makers

Some insects, such as thrips (order Thysanoptera) can cause some similar disfigurement damage as those mentioned above, but may also cause the formation of galls, a type of unusual growth on plant tissue caused by insect feeding and/or the production of unusual plant growth hormones by the insects. The larvae of some wasps (order Hymenoptera) can cause the production of really interesting galls. There are non-insect pests, such as mites (class Arachnida), and certain types of fungi and bacteria that can also cause galling. Most of the time, the production of these galls do not seriously injure the plant and are only an aesthetic issue, but be sure to keep an eye out for any reduced vigor associated with these galls.

Plant galls take many different shapes, sizes, and forms! Often, an insect will lay her egg on/in a leaf, and the feeding young larva will cause the gall to form around it, providing necessary nutrients and protection from predators. Some insects only lay one egg on a leaf. This was obviously not the case in the above photo. Photo credit: Nick Goltz

…and (Nearly) Everyone Else

It’s important to remember that most of the insects we encounter in the garden are harmless or beneficial – pollinating our plants, eating pests and keeping the insect community diverse and healthy. Be sure to only apply insecticides as a last resort and only when pollinators and other beneficial critters aren’t present. The best time of day to apply insecticides (to minimize sun injury and contact with pollinators) is in the evening when plants are dry unless otherwise specified on your product label. Not sure what insect is visiting your garden? Contact the folks at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center by emailing ladybug@uconn.edu for advice and identification services. If you’re dealing with a plant disease, ask to have your sample forwarded to the UConn Plant Diagnostic Laboratory instead. The UConn PDL is funded, in part, by the state of Connecticut and the USDA through IPM Extension Implementation and National Plant Diagnostic Network grants.

Ladybird beetles (order Coleoptera, family Coccinellidae) happily ate the aphids on my rose bush, making my job much easier and helped my plant really shine this June! Photo Credit: Nick Goltz

Nick Goltz, DPM

 

Wonders of Nature in July

“Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.”   
–  Gary Snyder

July is just the beginning of what I consider the most interesting part of the year, nature-wise. Birds have fledged a first brood, insects are abounding and plants are showing off their colorful flowers and fruits. Many turtles have laid their eggs, the majority of tadpole species have become frogs and brush foot butterflies are heading into a second breeding phase. AT my property. there are so many tiny toads and wood frogs, I could win a dance contest trying not to step on them.

Day old leaf-footed bug

Canada lilies, Lilium canadense, a native wildflower pollinated by ruby-throated hummingbirds, blooms at the same time as the native wood lilies Lilium philadelphicum. Both species can be found near woodland edges. Swamp candles are wetland plants with whorled panicles of yellow star-like flowers with red centers. Often they form large stands on wetland edges.

Canada Lily

Swamp Candle Flowers

Eastern wood pewees are medium sized flycatchers related to phoebes. They sit and wait for insects to fly, and then catch them in the air. One was recently following me as I mowed, swooping out to catch whatever moths were stirred up by the mower. Barn swallows will follow mowing equipment as well.

Eastern Wood Pewee

One insect that always is fun to find is the tiny partridge scolops planthopper Scolops sulcipes. In all stages, it has a protuberance on its head that looks like a horn. In adults, it is curved upward. Found in grassy areas with goldenrods, not a lot is known about this insect. Wing venation in adults has striking patterning.

Partridge Scolops Nymph

Blueberries are ripening, and there are plenty of them on many power line right-of-ways, along with native huckleberries. Recently, a female calico pennant dragonfly took a break and rested on some blueberries.

There is always something unusual to find- the excitement never ends, as my nephew once said- and this July has been no different. There was a mass of some type of insect eggs, perhaps a tree hopper, that had perfect little exit holes where the insects had hatched.

Egg Mass Perhaps of a Tree Hopper

Cleft-headed loopers are named for their cleft head, and they always remind me of kitty cat ears. Its moth is the famous peppered moth, which has been written about in textbooks throughout the world due to color variations that enable it to camouflage itself by day.

Cleft-headed Looper- Head on Left

Head of the Cleft-headed Looper

Butterflies have not been especially abundant so far, but the diminutive American coppers seem to be everywhere. The caterpillars are seldom seen, but may be found by looking carefully on their host plants- sheep sorrel or curled dock near where the adults are spotted..

American Copper on a Grass Seed Head

The slender long- horned flower beetle, Strangalia famelica can be seen on flowers obtaining pollen and nectar throughout the summer. There are many other species of flower beetles that look similar and also use flowers as a food source.

Strangalia famelica beetle

This year there have been quite a few walking sticks in varied habitats. Usually found on woody plants, two were in grassy areas with lots of forbs but no woody plants. Wonder what they were eating…

Early Instar Walking Stick

There are a lot more things of interest to discover as the summer progresses. Caterpillars tend to be larger and more colorful and interesting as foliage becomes mature. Fruits and seeds will attract lots of birds, sunrises and sunsets provide more color and interest than most television shows and perhaps all of us will be delighted by something new that we find that is not in a store. As Helen Keller noted “To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.”

Pamm Cooper

July Sunrise