The following articles were compiled during the last 7 days by members of the Extension, Nursery, Landscape, Turf (ENLT) team to benefit those who are managing a commercial nursery, garden center, or landscape business or someone who just wants to keep their yard looking good all summer. Access the BYGL website for additional information on other seasonal topics at: http://bygl.osu.edu
For more pictures and information, click on the article titles. To contact the authors, click on their names.
Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative – Annual Milkweed Pod Collection
Authors Amy Stone
Published on September 19, 2018
The Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative (OPHI) is encouraging all Ohioans who have grown common milkweed this season to harvest seed pods and take them to a participating Soil and Water Conservation Office. The Annual Milkweed Pollination Collection is in its third year in Ohio. In 2015, 7 counties piloted the milkweed seed pod collection. The project has grown and it is estimated that over 22 million seeds have been collected by volunteers across the buckeye state over the 3 years.
Milkweed is the only host plant for the monarch butterfly for egg laying and the caterpillars rely on it for food. It also serves as a food source for monarchs butterflies, as well as many other pollinator species.
To make the collection as successful, the OPHI has come up with the following tips:
- Make sure that before you collect seed, you become familiar with the common milkweed to avoid harvesting pods from similar plants such as hemp dogbane and swamp milkweed. The collection is for only the common milkweed.
- It is best to collect the pods when they are dry, grey, or brown. IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK THIS! (Since pod collection starts September 1 and runs through October 31… please use September as the time to locate milkweed plants and to keep an eye on the pods while they ripen and then pick them once they look like the picture in the link.)
- If the center seam pops with gentle pressure, they can be harvested.
- Store the pods in paper bags; plastic bags collect unwanted moisture.
- Put the date and county collected on the bag when you turn them in.
- Keep the pods in a cool, dry area until you can deliver them to the nearest collection site.
- You can find the nearest collection site at https://www.agri.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/oda/divisions/soil-and-water-conservation/find-a-local-swcd/swcd-list
These are the districts that are participating with the OPHI Pod collection this year as indicated in the salmon color above:
Adams, Ashland, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Darke, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Henry, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Medina, Meigs, Mercer, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Muskingum, Noble, Ottawa, Paulding, Pickaway, Pike, Preble, Putnam, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Union, Van Wert, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot
Collections began the first of September and will continue through October 30. If you have questions regarding milkweed collection, please contact Marci Lininger at Marci.Lininger@dot.ohio.gov or Lori Stevenson at Lori_Stevenson@fws.gov or reach out to your local Soil and Water Conservation District. Not familiar with the office in the county that you live? Check out their webpage to be able to search and find the location in your county: https://ofswcd.org/who-we-are/find-your-swcd.html
For more information on best practices for collecting milkweed please refer to this video! http://u.osu.edu/beelab/milkweed-seed/ Happy seed collecting!
More Information
Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative
http://www.ophi.info/home.html
OSU Bee Lab
Monarch Joint Venture
https://monarchjointventure.org/
Rare and Unusual Caterpillar on Poplar
Authors Joe Boggs
Published on September 18, 2018
I had never seen or heard of the poplar tentmaker (Closter inclusa) until we ran into this unusual caterpillar on its namesake host during the Greater Cincinnati Diagnostic Walk-About last Monday at the Boone County Arboretum. In fact, it took me a while to identify this seldom-seen defoliator.
I felt better about my lengthy ID challenge after reading what David Wagner wrote about the moth behind the caterpillar in his book, “Caterpillars of Eastern North America.” He noted, “It is rare – should you find its caterpillar or secure livestock, take notes and images.”
Such is often the case with seldom seen native moths. They fly below the radar until they or their caterpillars appear out of the blue to test our resolve for making an insect identification.
Wagner and other sources indicate the caterpillars feed on various members of the Populus genus as well as willows (Salix spp.). We found the caterpillars feeding on a hybrid poplar (P. deltoidies x P. heterophylla ‘Rainbow River’).
The caterpillars are “tentmakers” in the truest sense of the word. When I hear “tent-making caterpillars,” I think of silk nests like those produced by eastern tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum). However, the poplar tentmaker actually constructs tents by using silk to stick together two or more leaves. Then they line their dangling domiciles with a cozy layer of silk.
The caterpillars spend the day hanging out inside their protective silk-lined tents no doubt dodging predators and perhaps exchanging grand plans for after they pupate. They venture forth at night to feed on leaves consuming everything except the main veins. If not for the odd dangling “tents,” their leaf damage could easily be mistaken for damage caused by a general defoliator such as yellownecked caterpillars (Datana ministra).
The look-a-like leaf symptoms also extended to sawfly larvae we found on the same poplars populated by the tentmaker. Thus far, I’ve not been successful in identifying the sawfly. The larvae looked identical to the species, Nematus calais. However, this species is reported to only feed on willow. Regardless, had the sawfly larvae not been present, it would have been easy to assume all of the leaf damage was being caused by the tentmaker.
The poplar tentmaker has 3 – 4 generations in the southern U.S. and we saw evidence there are at least 2 generations in our part of the country. The moth may be rare, but that does not mean its caterpillars will not occasionally cause noticeable defoliation. However, reports indicate the most significant damage occurs late in the growing season after trees have already generated and stored enough carbohydrate to support the production of new leaves next season. Consequently, the poplar tentmaker probably has a limited impact on the overall health of its host trees.
Authors Jim Chatfield Jason Veil
Published on September 18, 2018
The genus Impatiens is quite familiar to most gardeners. From beds and borders of bedding impatiens, use receding and then rebounding some in recent years with the scourge of downy mildew disease, to the ever-more colorful types of New Guinea impatiens and their genetic resistance to downy mildew: these flowers are garden staples. There are also our native impatiens, the orange-flowered Impatiens capensis and the yellow-flowered I. pallida, known as jewelweed or touch-me-not.
Jewelweeds have tell-tale gem-shaped fruits, water that beads on the leaves, leaves temporarily wilting like other impatiens during the heat of the sun, and fruits that explode upon touch to expel seeds outward from the mothership. Twice in the woods and roadside of Secrest Arboretum I have also seen a salmon-flowered variant of our native jewelweed, a product presumably of a random mutation.
So, imagine my wonder when while on Mackinaw Island in Michigan for a gardening conference recently I noticed a tall plant with narrow leaves and delightful pink and white flowers in flower beds looking up toward the Grande Hotel. At first, I thought it was a type of snapdragon or other plant in the Scrophulariaceae with its unusual mouth-agape blossoms. Then the jewel-like fruits on the plants came into focus. A pink jewelweed?
Secrest curator Jason Veil had not seen this flower before either, but his cell-phone was handy. It was Impatiens glandulifera, the Himalayan jewelweed or Himalayan balsam (impatiens being in the Balsaminaceae family). We were all excited about learning of this new (to us) garden plant – a pink touch-me-not. I must write about it, I thought. Alas, within the day, our horticulturist interest waned as we read on that this Himalayan native annual plant is now present across much of Europe and North America after introduction as an ornamental, with one source even labeling it as one of the most invasive species in the world.
I don’t know about that, but clearly it is invasive. Who knew? Not us. Our perspective changed from something we did not know of to admiration to not planning to further the spread in a matter of hours. Then a few weeks later, in the Denver Botanic Gardens, we noticed beds of two more Impatiens species, the yellow-and-white-flowered I. bicolor and the lavender-and-white-flowered Impatiens balfourii, both from India. Our impatiens knowledge continues apace.
Blue-Winged Wasps Cruising Lawns
Authors Joe Boggs
Published on September 17, 2018
Blue-winged wasps (Scolia dubia) are continuing to make low-level flights over lawns in southwest Ohio. As their common name implies, the wasps have dark blue wings. Their legs and thorax are also dark blue. However, their most distinguishing features are two light-yellow spots on top of their orange-tipped abdomens.
The wasps usually fly a few inches above the turfgrass, often in loops or in a figure-8 pattern. They may also be spotted landing on flowers to sip nectar, most often on common goldenrod (Solidago canadensis).
There are two beneficial aspects to this wasp. It is a plant-pollinator as well as a parasitoid of white grubs with a particular affinity for green June beetle (Continus nitida) and Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) grubs.
Once a grub is located during their low-level flights, the wasp digs into the soil until it finds the grub, or it will simply enter a green June beetle grub’s soil burrow. Digging through the soil is not without consequences as evidenced by tattered wings.
The wasp first stings and paralyzes the grub, then it lays an egg on the grub’s body. When the egg hatches, the wasp larva feeds leech-like on its hapless grub victim until the grub is no more. Their negative impact on white grub populations can be significant.
Providing a good late-season nectar source, such as goldenrod, can help draw in this parasitoid wasp to draw down white grubs. It’s a good example of how butterfly gardens (a.k.a. pollinator gardens) can serve as an important component in an overall pest management strategy.
Authors Joe Boggs
Published on September 17, 2018
If you’re ever visiting Cincinnati during the dog days of summer, keep your eyes peeled for a fascinating non-native lizard scurrying over rock walls, darting across sidewalks, and lurking in landscaping. I’ve posted BYGL reports about these lizards in the past because the story of how they got to Cincinnati is so intriguing and their ascent to equal treatment amongst native reptiles is almost unprecedented for reptiles in Ohio.
The lizard’s common name is influenced by where you stand, literally. If you’re an American herpetologist, you would call them European wall lizards (Podarcis muralis). If you live in Europe, they are common wall lizards. If you’re a native Cincinnatian, you would likely call them “Lazarus lizards.”
The lizards are capable of shedding part of their tail to survive a predator’s attack; a defense mechanism known as autotomy. The detached tail will continue to whip back and forth to further distract (bewilder?) a predator. A slight swelling of the tail often indicates where the old tail broke off and a new tale grew.
However, the local common name “Lazarus” has nothing to do with dropping a tail to rise again. It’s associated with the Lazarus family best known in Ohio for their connections with department stores.
In 1951, 10-year-old George Rau Jr., step-son of Fred Lazarus III, came across some common wall lizards scurrying across rocky slopes while on a family vacation to Lake Garda in northern Italy. George smuggled a few (6 to 10 depending on the reference source) through customs to release them at his family’s home on Torrence Court located in the eastern Cincinnati suburb of Hyde Park.
Some of the European expats thrived to eventually become so numerous that Torrence Court is still sometimes referred to as “Lizard Hill.” Local residents called them “Lazarus lizards” in misplaced recognition of the lizard’s perceived patrons. Of course, they should have been named “George’s Lizards” in honor of their true sponsor.
The lizard story may ring like local lore; however, George Rau wrote a letter in 1989 to herpetologists at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History detailing his role as the lizard leader. He also repeated his story in several interviews with the news media.
Research conducted by Cassandra Homan for her 2013 University of Cincinnati M.S. Thesis (see “More Information” below) added credibility to Rau’s claim. She compared genetic samples collected from the Cincinnati lizards to samples taken from the reported source population in Europe and confirmed a substantial loss of genetic diversity indicating a genetic bottleneck. Her computer simulations suggested the bottleneck was likely associated with only three individuals surviving their release to become the founders of the Cincinnati populations.
The European wall lizards mostly feed on insects which means they no doubt compete with one or more of our four lizard and skink species (order Squamata, suborder Lacertilia) native to Ohio. The non-native lizards are now found in pockets throughout much of Cincinnati and parts of the adjoining states of Kentucky and Indiana. Although their spread has been patchy owing to their requirement of rocky terrain or stone walls on south-facing slopes in order to survive winters, localized population densities may be as high as 1,500 per acre.
Indeed, the species has been so successful in colonizing southwest Ohio, it has achieved a rare status for a non-native. The “European wall lizard (Podarcis muralis)” is listed among the names of native reptiles in Chapter 1531: Division of Wildlife; 1531.01 Division of wildlife definitions. It is considered a “naturalized species” that is protected by law.
More Information
Bottlenecks and Microhabitat Preference in Invasive Wall Lizard, Podarcis mural…
https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ap/10?0::NO:10:P10_ETD_SUBID:89321
Tune In – What You Need To Know About Spotted Lanternfly (SLF)
Authors Amy Stone
Published on September 17, 2018
Last week, Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) hosted a webinar on the Spotted Laternfly (Lycorma delicatula). The session has been recorded and is available online for viewing. The presentation is free, as well as other past EABU educational sessions.
The SLF session provided information for someone who is not familiar with SLF, and individuals with some background but would like an update on the latest developments. Just like other invasive species, we need to be alert to our own surroundings and if we see something that we suspect could be SLF or another invasive species, report it using the Great Lakes Early Detection App, contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), or your contact in the local OSU Extension Office. The SLF has not been detected in Ohio, but we must remain on alert. This webinar is a great way to quickly get up to speed and know what to look for throughout the entire year.
The presenters for the SLF webinar were Heather Leach, Spotted Lanternfly Extension Coordinator and Dr. Julie Urban, Senior Research Associate, both of Penn State University. They were able to share their knowledge and first hand experience on a pest we do not want in Ohio.
The webinar included the following information:
- Life Cycle
- Biology
- Host Preference
o Tree of Heaven
o Black Walnut
o Grapes
o Apples
o and more than 70 more plants
- Damage
o Plant Death and Decline
o Yield Losses
o Sooty Mold Accumulations
- Current Research Update
The recorded webinar can be found online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSjKoBCukac
I found the session to be very useful and filled with practical information. The speakers included the photo below in their presentation. While I was taken back by the number of SLF adults in this photo, I reminded myself to be alert to not only these huge number that anyone would likely notice, but fine tune my diagnostic skills to look for the single specimen, the egg mass at quick glance could look like mud, or the unusually high activity of yellow jackets attracted to the honeydew produced by the SLF this time of the year.
You can help fight invasive species by learning more and engaging others about these pests.
If you are interested in the topic of invasives and want to learn more, check out future EABU sessions. of the fall schedule include:
- Gypsy Moth: Past, Present and Future, Thursday, September 27, 11:00 am EST
- Lingering Ash: EAB Resistant Ash Trees, Thursday, October 4, 11:00 am EST
- Managing Ash Tree Post Emerald Ash Borer, Thursday, October 11, 11:00 am EST
- The Asian Longhorned Beetle, Thursday, October 16, 11:00 am EST
Recorded sessions can be accessed through the emerald ash borer website: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/eabu.php
More Information
Penn State University Extension
https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/PlantIndustry/Entomology/spott…
Authors Joe Boggs
Published on September 17, 2018
Participants at last week’s Greater Cincinnati Diagnostic Walk-About were thrilled to view the unusual leaf symptoms caused by the Redbud Leaffolder (Fascista cercerisella; order Lepidoptera; family Gelechiidae) on its namesake host. Or, maybe it was just me who was thrilled.
While populations are not as high as in 2016, it is not uncommon to find redbuds with leaves turning brown after being folded over or “glued” together. I’m not aware of any host preference studies for this native moth; however, the damage has always seemed more evident on weeping redbuds. Of course, this could simply be due to the damage being more obvious because of the vertical orientation of the leaves.
Three overlapping generations of this velvety black moth occur per season in Ohio with 2nd and 3rd generation nests usually containing caterpillars in various stages of development. Populations tend to build with each generation meaning that the most significant damage occurs late in the season. The moth spends the winter as pupae in debris and fallen leaves beneath infested trees.
The leaffolder caterpillars produce nests described by their common name by using silk stitching to fold over leaf edges. However, the nonconformist caterpillars also make nests like those produced by a “leaftier” by stitching together neighboring leaves. In fact, in my opinion, the high frequency of tied-together leaves challenges the correctness of the caterpillar’s common name.
The caterpillars reside in heavy silk tubes within both types of nests. They partially emerge out of their tubes to feed as skeletonizers, consuming the upper and lower leaf surfaces. The affected areas turn orangish-brown which sharply contrasts with the normal dark green color of the foliage.
Early instar caterpillars are cream-colored and have no discernible markings. As the caterpillars mature, markings begin to develop with alternating segments darkening to produce a striking appearance of black and light-green bands running the length of the body. They resemble tiny banded sea kraits (snakes). When disturbed, the caterpillars wiggle back and forth violently further enhancing their tiny snake impersonation. They have great entertainment value!
Insecticidal applications are not generally required for managing this moth in Ohio landscapes. Besides, the caterpillars live in protected locations which makes the successful use of insecticides problematic.
Most of the leaf damage is produced by the current 3rd generation caterpillars. Trees have already generated and stored enough carbohydrate to support the production of new leaves next season. Consequently, the leaffolder has a limited impact on the overall health of the tree even during localized population outbreaks.
Where practical, populations can be reduced by pinching nests to kill caterpillars. Raking and destroying fallen leaves will also reduce localized numbers by eliminating overwintering moth pupae.