Ladybug Arborists

Time to check the elms for Dutch elm disease (DED) symptoms.

Alberta is fortunate to be DED free, but this killer of elms has been on the move west in Saskatchewan. You can view the official provincial distribution of the disease via the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment DED Map. It covers the entire province, which is classified as a regulated area by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

How we can stop DED

Check your elm trees for DED symptoms and report immediately to the STOPDED hotline at 1-877-837-ELMS
Adhere to the annual pruning ban from April 1 to September 30th.
Respect provincial regulations by not moving or storing elm firewood. Spores of the DED fungus are dispersed via bark beetles that burrow under the bark and lay their eggs. DED can be distributed over long distances in elm logs and in firewood.

Symptoms of infected DED elm tree:

Flagging - when the leaves of one or more branches near the top of the tree wilt, curl, turn yellow and then brown, remaining on the tree.

Staining - an infected twig sample will have red streaks through the sapwood.

https://www.alberta.ca/dutch-elm-disease-overview.aspx

There are other vascular elm diseases which are not as serious as DED and mimic the symptoms of DED. For this reason, a sample from the infected area of the tree must be sent to the Alberta Plant Health Lab to confirm if DED is present. A confirmed DED tree must be removed and disposed of properly immediately to prevent further spread. https://www.alberta.ca/dutch-elm-disease-overview.aspx

Firewood is confiscated from travelers at all the AB/US borders. There is one volunteer firewood bin east of Medicine Hat at the Dunmore vehicle and boat inspection site.

Don’t Move Firewood

Buy it locally

Burn it on site

Never bring it home

wondering how leaf lettuce can grow in the crack between asphalt and concrete curb on the road and not in my garden? how did the seed get there in the first place ?

Super excited to see the girls are paying such close attention to the plants they’re looking after. Jessica identified this growth on a rosebush today. She brought it my attention and we identified it to decide if was a serious issue we needed to advise the client about or if action was needed. Great learning opportunity.

This structure is a Rose Bedeguar Gall (or "Robin's Pincushion"), caused by the larvae of a tiny Cynipid wasp known as Diplolepis rosae.

The moss-like filaments are a growth response from the rose plant to the wasp larvae feeding on the stem tissue. The vibrant colours turn a dull brown in fall. Even after the insect leaves its fuzzy house it will persist on the stem unless removed. They are generally not harmful to the overall health of the plant, though they can be pruned if they are undesirable.

We opted to remove them today.