Posts

Newest additional to the Paulding County Extension Office.

| Sarah Noggle

With the passage of the Paulding County OSU Extension levy in 2020 and funds being released in 2021, the Paulding County Extension Office had the opportunity to expand the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) program area. Our newest addition to Paulding County Extension, in the role of Family and Consumer Sciences, Extension Educator is Casey Bishop. The FCS Extension Educator will focus on information and resources in the areas of Health People, Healthy Finances, and Healthy Relationships.

Bishop is a graduate of Jacksonville University with a bachelor’s in Psychology, and the University of North Florida with a master’s in Counseling. Coming from Florida, she brings her experience in a psychiatric setting working with individuals with substance abuse and mental health issues. More recently, she worked at Cypress Creek Juvenile Offender Correctional Center. At CCJOCC, Casey gained her Professional Teaching Certification in Social Studies and Exceptional Student Education and became Lead Educator. Continue reading →

Maple Leaf Development and Heavy Seed Production

| Sarah Noggle
Author Joe Boggs Published on May 5, 2021
Maple Seed

Concerned Ohioans are reporting their maples have stunted leaves or no leaves at all; particularly towards the top of the tree.  Several issues can produce thinning maple canopies including poor site conditions, girdling roots, a vascular wilt disease, etc.  However, it’s unlikely one of these issues has become so common or multiple issues have converged to produce a general widespread maple malaise throughout Ohio.

It’s more likely the common condition of thin maple canopies is a condition common to maples.  Indeed, red (A. rubrum), silver (Acer saccharinum), and sugar maples (A. saccharum)  in many regions of Ohio, as well as Indiana and Kentucky, have produced loads of winged seeds (samaras).  The challenge is that the timing of the blooms and thus seed production varies widely between the three dominant maple species in Ohio with red maples usually the first to bloom and sugars the last.

Continue reading →

Poison Hemlock and Wild Parsnip are Bolting and Blooming

| Sarah Noggle
By Joe Boggs (Published on May 16, 2021)
Additional note from Sarah Noggle, Extension Educator in Paulding County. Poison hemlock has been found in Paulding County. The densest populations have been located along the railroad beds and also old fence rows. 

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is one of the deadliest plants in North America.  Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) sap can produce severe, painful skin blistering.  Both are commonly found growing together in Ohio and both are beginning to “bolt” and bloom meaning the clock is quickly winding down for controlling these non-native nasties.

Wild parsnip

Poison hemlock

Wild parsnip

These non-native weeds are members of the carrot family, Apiaceae.  The old name for the family was Umbelliferae which refers to the umbel flowers.  The flowers are a key family feature with short flower stalks rising from a common point like the ribs on an umbrella.  Queen Anne’s lace (a.k.a. wild carrot) (Daucus carota) is often used as the poster child for carrot family flowers.  This non-native blooms much later in the season. Continue reading →

What’s going on with Lumber Prices?

| Sarah Noggle

By Brent Sohngen, Professor Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, The Ohio State University

In case you haven’t noticed, lumber prices have increased a lot over the last year.  Based on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Lumber Price Index, which you can find here, lumber prices have increased 180% since April 2020.  This increase started last fall and has continued ever since. So, why have they risen, and how high will they go?

Let’s start with the first question, why have they risen?  The economic explanation is relatively straightforward: Demand rose rapidly due to pandemic-related building, and supply is really inelastic, as we say in economics.  Thus, while the demand for wood has increased dramatically, the supply of wood hasn’t been able to keep up.  Let’s break this down.

Consider the demand side first.  The construction sector, specifically building and remodeling houses, is one of the largest demanders of lumber in the US and around the world.  New home starts and construction spending cratered at the beginning of the pandemic, but they rebounded pretty quickly.  Remodeling in particular seems to have picked up a real head of steam.

While demand for new construction and remodeling is hot, it’s actually now at about the same level as before the pandemic. So something else must be going on.  One of those something else’s is the price of steel, which has also increased dramatically in the US. Steel is a substitute for wood, especially in commercial construction, and rising steel prices have also driven up demand for lumber and other things that can be made out of wood or steel. Continue reading →

The Elusive Deer-Proof Garden

| Sarah Noggle
“No plant is safe from deer under all conditions,” said Marne A. Titchenell, a wildlife program specialist at The Ohio State University. Instead, she recommends a “toolbox approach” of strategies.
“No plant is safe from deer under all conditions,” said Marne A. Titchenell, a wildlife program specialist at The Ohio State University. Instead, she recommends a “toolbox approach” of strategies. Credit…Getty Images

By Margaret Roach – Published by The New York Times sharing information from a colleague Marne Titchenell

The bad news? It doesn’t exist. But there are still plenty of things you can do to deter what some call ‘nuisance wildlife.’

By Margaret Roach

Think of her as a conflict-resolution specialist — except that at least one party in almost every dispute that Marne A. Titchenell of The Ohio State University negotiates is a four-legged, fur-bearing individual stubbornly disinclined to negotiate.

“In the past week alone,” said Ms. Titchenell, whose official title is wildlife program specialist, “I have answered skunk, groundhog, bat, vole, and mole questions. And, of course, ones about deer.”

Ms. Titchenell’s primary professional role is educating Ohioans about wildlife ecology, biology, and habitat management. When she lectures to gardeners, farmers, or the nursery industry, she asks for a show of hands (virtually these days) from the audience when she names challenges they have faced. Then she runs through photos of animals that in backyard or agricultural settings may be referred to as “nuisance wildlife.”

“By the time I get to deer,” she said, “most people raise their hand.” Continue reading →

Become a Dandelion Detective and learn about the value of lawns!

| Sarah Noggle

Dandelion Detectives is a STEM activity targeting 3-7 graders where participants work together to measure the value of weeds for insects. Dandelion Detectives will take place over the summer of 2021. Participants can be located in Ohio or surrounding midwestern states.

Join Dr. Mary Gardiner, OSU Department of Entomology for a free Dandelion Detectives webinar on May 10th at 7 PM EST

Register Here

Mary will discuss the value of turf habitats for biodiversity and introduce Dandelion Detectives, a youth-focused community science program!

Continue reading →

The Bee Short Course for Community Scientists: Building skills of community scientists interested in wild bee conservation.

| Sarah Noggle
Free, monthly webinars to build skills of community scientists interested in bee conservation. All sessions are at 10 AM EASTERN on the third Friday of the month, May – November. The same link will allow you to join each session.A collaborative effort from the OSU Department of Entomology, The Chadwick Arboretum, and Learning Gardens, and The US National Native Bee Monitoring Research Coordination Network (RCN).

Registration Link

All sessions are from 10 – 11:00 AM Eastern on the third Friday of the month, May – November 2021

Please note: the focus of this series is wild bee conservation, not honey bee management.

  • May 21: Randy Mitchell, The University of Akron, Bee Botany 101
  • June 18: Jamie Strange, The Ohio State University, Melittology 101: An Intro to Bee Science
  • July 16: Olivia Carril, author, and biologist, Methods of Collecting and Documenting Bees
  • August 20: Heather Holm, author, and biologist, Insect Photography and Using iNaturalist to Observe and Document Wild Bees
  • September 17: Sam Droege, USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab, Tips and Tricks from The Handy Bee Manual
  • October 15: Mary Gardiner, The Ohio State University, Contributions of Community Science to Entomology: Benefits for People and Nature
  • November 19: Molly Martin, Bee City USA/The Xerces Society, From Community Science to Advocacy in Action: Case Studies in Conservation

Registration now is open for “Forest Ecology” – A DAY in the WOODS program on Friday, May 14

| Sarah Noggle
Lookout Rock-Zaleski State Forest
Lookout Rock-Zaleski State Forest

By Dave Apsley, OSU Extension

Forest Ecology will be offered by A DAY in the WOODS on Friday, May 14 from 10 am to noon via Zoom Webinar

Click here to register!

This program will focus on southeast Ohio – our most heavily forested portion of the state located in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains and part of the greater Appalachian Mountain Ecosystem.  The workshop has two parts – the first will explore the role that our woodlands can have in enhancing our physical and mental health and the second will provide an introduction to the landscape ecology of southeast Ohio.  We hope you can join us as we explore the ecological “zip codes” of southeast Ohio and how we all fit in.

Turfgrass Times: 4-9-2021

| Sarah Noggle
Authors  Amy Stone Published on April 16, 2021
Spring Turfgrass ActivityA little bit of a delay from the original video post of last week’s Turfgrass Times, but we wanted to be sure each of you can tune into this recording. It is not too late to hear this valuable turfgrass information. The recording was made on Friday, April 9th, and includes a lot of information from the OSU  turf experts. Contributors include Dr. Ed Nangle; Dr. Pamela Sherratt; Dr. David Gardner; Todd Hicks; and Dr. Dave Shetlar (aka the Bug Doc).

Video highlights include seasonal sports turf tips; weather and weeds and management options; lack of turfgrass diseases with dry conditions; be prepared for turfgrass anthracnose; annual bluegrass weevils; native cranefly larvae noticed in central, Ohio; and pavement ants.

The link for the most recent Turfgrass Times is: https://youtu.be/zuYEjUtJvI4

The address of the Turfgrass Research Facility is 2710 North Star Rd, Columbus, OH 43221.  This is the address where turfgrass samples should be sent for diagnostics. For more information about the diagnostic services provided specifically for turfgrass – the cost of the services, and the form needed to accompany the sample, please check out the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic website at: https://ppdc.osu.edu/submit-sample/turfgrass