Eastern Tent
Caterpillar is now active. We have seen a sample of this on two
Flowering Crabs at our shop however the silken webs are
remaining very small so far; maybe the result of the cold
nights. Eastern Tent Caterpillar larvae construct silken webs
in the crotches of branches and move out of the web on warm days
to feed on the new leaves.
Viburnum Leaf
Beetle larvae will soon be active, feeding on new leaves and
will feed until about mid June. Adult beetles appear about two
- three weeks later and feed until the first frost. We've found
most of our problems associated with the larvae feeding and not
the adults. This has become a major pest of certain Viburnums. A
favorite Viburnum of ours, Viburnum dentatum 'Chicago Lustre' (Arrowwood
Viburnum) is no longer a plant that we use in any of our designs
due to it being highly susceptible to the Viburnum Leaf Beetle.
We have found however that there are still several Viburnums
that are excellent plants for the landscape and show low to
moderate susceptibility.
Voles are 4-6" long
brownish grey critters that like to make runways or winding
trails under snow in lawns as they feed on grass and roots. We
get many questions about what to do about them or the damage
they create. When their winter protection is gone and the lawn
areas are open to predation from birds and others they move to
more protected areas. Once the lawn is raked out and fertilized
the lawn fills in and the damage is usually minimal. If damage
is severe some over seeding can be done. A late Fall
mowing and cleanup of leaves that could provide cover for voles
is a good a method of inhibiting their presence.
