Why does my tree have acne?

A couple of years ago, we planted an Autumn Blaze Maple tree in our front yard, and the tree has been doing beautifully. We are dreading the day that our street loses our ash canopy, and planting as much as we can to soften the blow.

I took a close look at our young tree the other day, and to my horror, noticed it was suffering from a severe case of acne.

Hmm. What could be causing this? After eliminating other causes such as poor hygiene and diet, I checked the internet.

Ah.

A new SPECIES OF THE WEEK: Eriophyid Mites (Though I’m not sure which: maple bladdergall mite: Vasates quadripedes, maple spindle gall mite: V. Aceriscrumen, or erineum gall mites: Eriophyes spp).

The red bumps are called galls and are formed as mites nibble at the maple leaves. Leaf tissue grows around and eventually encases the mites. Mating occurs within the galls, and then egg deposition. Young mites hatch and remain inside until maturity. They break out and start their own galls.

But thank goodness… I also found that they cause no permanent damage to the tree! Crisis averted.They don’t even recommend treating them except for aesthetic purposes. Whew!

Sources:

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/leaf-galls-maple

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/maple_gall_mite.htm

Patience Young Grasshopper! You have much to learn.

I got this picture, and couldn’t resist doing a blog post to show off my mad camera-phone skills. Ok, a fluke maybe, but I’m still happy with it.

I’m going to go (not very far) out on a limb here and say this is most likely the “Red Legged Grasshopper.” However, I could be wrong. Apparently there are a number of look-alike species but this is one of the most common grasshoppers in Southern Canada.

Species of the Week:

Red Legged Grasshopper

(Melanoplus femurrubrum)

Red Legged Grasshoppers grow up to about an inch in length, and can fly up to 40 feet. They are typically found in grassy, weedy areas, as grasses and weeds are their primary food source. Found across all of North America, they can be devastating crop pests. They will do variable damage in a particular year depending on the population size. (In case you didn’t know, grasshoppers and locusts are the same thing. The plague of locusts from the bible? … grasshoppers.)

This is interesting: they have hearing organs on their abdomens!

Just now, I was looking for clips of grasshopper sounds, and found out that they’ve been the ones making the noises that I’ve always heard in tall grasses and could never identify. And now … I think there’s one outside my window going crazy. I might have accidentally called it over with my computer. I wonder what I said. Here’s the sound clip of a grasshopper (different species): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyglT-rWE5c

In many parts of the world, grasshoppers are an important protein source. I haven’t tried them myself, although I have tried crickets. (Not too bad, but the legs get stuck in your teeth.) Here’s a recipe for grasshopper. Let me know how it goes! http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/authenticfamilyrecipes/r/chapulines.htm

 

Sources:

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/red-legged-grasshopper

http://www.americaninsects.net/o/melanoplus-femurrubrum.html

http://bugguide.net/node/view/151116

http://insects.about.com/od/grasshoppersandcrickets/a/10-Cool-Facts-About-Grasshoppers.htm

 

 

 

A Threatened Monarchy

I’m going to cheat a little bit for today’s Species of the Week. I’m going to talk about something I didn’t need to learn to identify recently. In fact, this is one species I’ve known longer than most. However, there is an important reason to discuss this species so I’m going to do it anyway.

Today, I bring you:

The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

This particular Monarch is hanging out on some of the Asters that I mentioned in my previous Species of the Week post.

Identification:

Monarch caterpillars are yellow and black striped, and smooth (not fuzzy). At this stage they exclusively eat Milkweed. Once they are ready, they form a Chrysalis, transform for about 10 days, and emerge as a butterfly.

(FYI: “Butterflies hatch from a chrysalis, a life stage made of a hardened protein. A cocoon is spun from silk and surrounds the pupa of many moths.”  – http://www.kidsbutterfly.org/faq/lifecycle/7)  – pretty sure this was an error in “The very hungry caterpillar.”

The Monarch is probably the most easily recognizable butterfly, with its distinctive contrasting black and orange wings, which span 3.5-4 inches. The adults dine on a wide range of nectars and fruits. Yearly, there are four generations of butterflies. One of these generations flies from Ontario to Mexico to make it through the winter.

The Problem:

While previously abundant, Monarchs are now listed as a species of “Special Concern.” Threats include pesticides, the loss of native species, and the destruction of wintering grounds in Mexico. You may have noticed a decline of these butterflies in your own neighbourhood. I saw a total of one Monarch this year.

Interestingly enough, milkweed resides on the Ontario noxious weed list. Check out what regional councillor Jane Mitchell has to say about this here: http://janemitchellblog.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/the-monarchs-are-almost-gone-keep-killing-that-milkweed/

Milkweed is on the list because it is toxic to livestock, and can be difficult to control in fields. That said, the Ontario government does say that it is acceptable to grow it in a personal garden as long as it does not affect agricultural land.  http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/faq_weeds_act.htm#milkweed

Our local Butterfly Conservatory has an annual Monarch raising program, where you can purchase a mesh cage, milkweed, and monarch caterpillars at various stages of chrysalis formation. A neighbour has done this for the past few years, and we were fortunate enough a couple of years back to be invited to watch some emerge. The kids were interested (but perhaps not as fascinated as the adults).

You can help the Monarch population by planting native species and especially milkweed in your garden. (Be careful, as milkweed sap can be very dangerous if you get it in your eyes. If you have little people at home with grabby paws, perhaps hold off a few years…as I will.)

You can also take part in breeding and tagging programs. If you are interested, and live near me, check this out (sold out this year, but check again next fall):

http://www.cambridgebutterfly.com/conservatory/monarch-rearing-kits

Programs like this are important for raising awareness, but also simply to help increase the dwindling population of Monarch butterflies. We now have designated areas in Canada as “Monarch Butterfly Reserves.”

Then again, if you want to be rid of these pesky butterflies, by all means, keep destroying the milkweed!

Sources:

http://www.naturecanada.ca/take_action_monarch_guide.asp

http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/

Purple and Gold: A Royal Autumn Display

In my area, this is a season where you can find fields of bright gold and purple. These colours are brought to you mostly by goldenrod, and a purple flower that I finally just identified today. I’ve already done goldenrod (featured here), so I thought I should introduce its buddy.

Today’s species of the week is:

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

Paired with the stunning gold of goldenrod (please do not mistake it with ragweed), you will very often find these complementary purple flowers right next door. (It’s funny how nature does that sometimes. I wonder why. Did our artistic rules about aesthetic matching develop from nature? That’s an interesting question….someone should look into that. But, as usual….I digress.)

There are quite a few different asters. The New England one seems to be the closest fit. The Ontario wildflowers site also says it is the most common.  If you happen to disagree with my identification, please let me know.

Identification:

New England Asters display large (3cm), rose-purple flowers with very numerous petals in the summer and fall. Centres are yellow. Flower heads cluster at the end of branches. They show up in open areas, fields and roadsides. The leaves are clasping (meaning they surround the stem).

Uses:

New England Asters are popular with bees and butterflies, supplying an important source of nectar. The flower is supposedly edible, and put in salads by some. However, please don’t take my word on that. I have not tried them.

As an interesting side note, it was used by the Iroquois (First Nation) in love potions!

 

Sources:

http://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=25

http://www.ediblewildfood.com/new-england-aster.aspx

 

Here is another blog post about New England asters:

http://joansgarden.wordpress.com/tag/new-england-aster/

What do telephone cords and wild cucumbers have in common?

As I was walking along a trail a few weeks ago, I happened to notice a particularly pretty little vine creeping up the dead branches of a tree. I took a picture, and finally got around to figuring out what it was.

Species of the Week: Wild Cucumber (Echinocystis lobata)

 

Identification:

The leaves of the wild cucumber vine somewhat resemble bright green maple leaves. The vine climbs up and around whatever it can grab a hold of, and hangs on with stringy tendrils that coil around until they look like telephone cords. See the picture? (Does anyone even still use a corded telephone?  Remember trying to get a reversed loop back in sync with the rest of the cord? Or was that just me? But I digress…)

The flowers are a bit frilly and white, and bloom on long spikes that often stand straight up. Flowers are star shaped with long petals. The fruits of this vine are spiky and bulbous, resembling a small, dangerous watermelon. It is, for once, NATIVE! It is a rather aggressive grower, however, and often considered a weed.

Uses:

Despite the name, and for those of you hoping to cheaply enhance your tomato salad with a woodland harvest, this is not an edible plant.  In fact, it may even be dangerous to ingest, so don’t try it. Dried seed pods are sometimes used in dried flower arrangements.

 

As soon as I identify a new plant, all of a sudden I see it everywhere. As I walk through the woods, or look along the edges of the road, all of these previous strangers are now familiar friendly faces. Typically, if someone just points to something and says “that’s such and such,” I’m bound to forget. When I write about a new species here, it’s written in indelible ink on my brain. Welcome to my collection, wild cucumber!

 

Sources:

http://wimastergardener.org/?q=WildCucumber

http://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=1

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/ontweeds/wild_cucumber.htm