What’s eating the oak trees?

Two-lined chestnut borer larva Agrilus bilineatus• Native beetle• Attracted to stressed trees• Infestations can kill oaks

over several years • Prevention is key:

– Water during drought– Don’t fertilize– Keep herbicide use 50+ feet

away from the tree

Signs of the end of summer

Monarchs “Roosting” Butterflyweed going to seed

As fall migration nears, monarch butterflies gather to feed on nectar. This is called “roosting”. Decreasing day length is one trigger for this behavior. Milkweed, such as this butterflyweed (above) is going to seed, or senescing. This also tells monarchs to get ready for migration.

Now blooming…New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

• Up to 5 ft tall• Drought tolerant and deer

resistant• Blooms late summer to October• Great for pollinators

Katydid• Get their name from the sounds

they make by rubbing wings together

• They are vegetarians, but will bite if handled roughly

• Their color is excellent camouflage for sitting in trees, even mimicking leaf veins

Panorama taken 8/26/2015

Graffiti cleanupMonday morning we found this, and two other spots marred by red spray paint. Cleanup went well, for the most part. We’re waiting for a special paint remover chemical to use on the limestone rock atop the steps, so part of the “art” is still visible. It will be gone shortly, however.

Graffiti is bad.