Attack of the Pine Bark Beetles
This past spring and summer, two mature white pines (Pinus strobus) at the rear of Bond Lodges along Chester Road, suddenly turned brown and died. The first one went off color during Commencement week at the end of May. A visual inspection of the trunk and top with binoculars gave no indication of cause. Not long after that, the second tree started to go off-color and inspections found small mounds of sawdust mixed with sap on the trunk.
Southern Pine Beetle infestation. photo credit: W. Costello
This was an immediate indication of some type of bark beetle, but which one? Having never…
Oxydendrum arboreum transitions to its fall adornment between the Cunningham House and the Wister Center. This small native tree can be found from New York, south to Florida, and west to Arkansas. For success, plant sourwood in acidic soils in a location with limited root competition. Fall color ranges from red and scarlet to maroon and plum. Photo credit: J. Coceano
Tucked along a pathway in the John W. Nason Garden, one is most likely to first experience the fragrance of Clethra tomentosa ‘Cottondale’ before meeting the plant. A cultivar selected from our native woolly summersweet, C. tomentosa ‘Cottondale’ bears long, pendulous racemes of fragrant white flowers and serrated leaves covered in fine hairs which lend a gray cast to the plant. Provide full to partial sun in a moist site for optimal growth. Photo credit: J. Coceano
Hickories can always be counted on to lend vibrant shades of yellow to the autumn landscape. Carya ovata, the shagbark hickory, is no exception. The…
