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Do You Have A Gardening Question? UW Extension Has Answers

By Peggy Damann, Wisconsin Extension Statewide Horticulture Outreach Specialist, Peg.Damann@wisc.edu

flower garden

The Wisconsin Extension Horticulture Program provides plant health advising services through the online Ask Your Gardening Question webpage on the Extension Horticulture website. Members of the public can submit their lawn, landscape and gardening questions and photos, which are then routed to the appropriate county, multi-county or statewide Extension person or program. This service may be of interest to your urban residents and homeowners looking for answers to their yard tree questions.

Weed Management Area Grant Deadline Nears

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

Controlling invasive plants on your forested property can be a challenging and costly endeavor. The Weed Management Area – Private Forest Grant Program (WMA-PFGP) helps make this process easier for its recipients. Though the April 1 application deadline is quickly approaching, there is still time to apply for funding for your forest.

Continue reading “Weed Management Area Grant Deadline Nears”

Watch For Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

By Linda Williams, Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff;
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0665

Landowners with hemlock and anyone who walks through or works in hemlock stands can help watch for signs of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA).

This invasive insect has not yet been identified in Wisconsin, but it has been found in seven counties in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The insect sucks the sap of hemlock trees, and large populations can cause the decline and mortality of hemlock over 4 to 10 years, depending on the health of the tree and population levels of HWA. It’s vital to find infestations as early as possible to allow multiple options for control and management.

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Slime Mold: Mysterious And Amazing

By Linda Williams, Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff;
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0665

What can learn new things, move toward and acquire food, remember where food was and what foods are preferred, figure out the shortest route through a maze, remember where it has traveled and seem to disappear as quickly as it first appeared?

It’s slime mold, of course!

Continue reading “Slime Mold: Mysterious And Amazing”

Forget About Planting Forget-me-nots

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

Wide-angle photo of a forest road covered by a blanket of Woodland forget-me-not.

A forest road is covered by a blanket of Woodland forget-me-not. / Photo Credit: Caleb Slemmons, National Ecological Observatory Network, Bugwood.org

These easy-to-grow, sweet-sounding, small blue flowers may seem appealing, but you should forget about forget-me-nots. A garden plant frequently found in mixed bouquets, forget-me-nots can easily escape the confines of a garden and spread aggressively.

There are two species regulated as invasives in Wisconsin: an Aquatic forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpiodes) and Woodland forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica). Both species are restricted under Wisconsin’s Invasive Species Rule NR40, so control is encouraged if they are found on your property. These species cannot be transferred, transported or introduced without a permit.

Both the aquatic and woodland species of forget-me-not bloom in early spring and can share many visual characteristics. Continue reading “Forget About Planting Forget-me-nots”

‘In The Weeds’ With Invasives Tech

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

Photo of popular garden plants including tulips and daffodils.

While not native to the Midwest, popular garden plants such as tulips and daffodils do not spread outside of gardens or cause harm, therefore they are not invasive. / Photo Credit: Lesley Ingram, Bugwood.org

As the conversation around invasive plants grows, it’s easy to get “stuck in the weeds” when it comes to invasive terminology.

A simple Google search of “invasive plant” will produce a variety of definitions, bringing in technicalities or muddying your understanding with each new idea of what invasive means. Continue reading “‘In The Weeds’ With Invasives Tech”

Millions Of Cicadas Preparing To Emerge

By Michael Hillstrom, Forest Health Specialist, Fitchburg;
Michael.Hillstrom@wisconsin.gov

Closeup photo of a periodical cicada, showing its black body and orange-colored wing veins and legs.

Closeup of a periodical cicada, showing its black body and orange-colored wing veins and legs. / Photo Credit: Ward Upham, Kansas State University, Bugwood.org

2024 will be a big year for periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.).

For the first time since 1803 — when Thomas Jefferson was president — 13-year Brood XIX and 17-year Brood XIII cicadas will co-emerge in the millions.

If you want to observe this spectacle, you can see the Brood XIII cicadas in southern Wisconsin. Expect to see and hear them in June, and bring your ear protection because some of the louder choruses of males can reach 90 decibels.

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Emerald Ash Borer Spreads Through The North

By Paul Cigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Hayward;
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/foresthealth/staff, 715-416-4920

This winter, the spread and impact of emerald ash borer (EAB) have been confirmed in several new northern townships in previously invaded counties.

These include Marengo (Ashland County); Gordon, Hawthorne and Oakland (Douglas County); Cadott and Colburn (Chippewa County) and Balsam Lake and St. Croix Falls (in Polk County).

Continue reading “Emerald Ash Borer Spreads Through The North”

Feeding Aphids Cause Spruce To Wilt

By Linda Williams, Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff;
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0665

Have you ever wondered just how much sap can be sucked out of a tree by aphids?

Aphids insert their piercing, sucking mouthparts into needles, twigs or bark, depending on the species of aphid.

Once their mouthparts are inserted, they begin to suck sap and will excrete excess moisture as small droplets of water called honeydew.

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Time for Spongy Moth Treatment Plans

By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh;
Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0942

A photo showing numerous spongy moth egg masses on a bur oak in Walworth County.

Numerous tan-colored spongy moth egg masses on a bur oak in Walworth County. / Photo Credit: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages property owners to examine their trees for spongy moth egg masses and determine whether control measures are needed this spring.

Spongy moths thrive in warm and dry weather. Even if weather conditions are more typical this spring and summer, the current spongy moth outbreak — which defoliated a state-record total of 373,000 acres of woodland last year — will likely continue and spread.

Continue reading “Time for Spongy Moth Treatment Plans”