Green Thumb Gazette, August 2024

Weird Caterpillars Eating Your Blueberries?
If you have seen these guys in the masses eating your blueberry plants or congregating on oaks, birches, or other fruit trees and shrubs, no need to worry! These pesky little insects are called Yellownecked Caterpillars. There is only one generation per year, starting with the adult stage (a brown handmaid moth) emerging in June-July to lay eggs on the undersides of leaves. These eggs will hatch and be the larvae/caterpillars you see now. In August and September, the mature caterpillars burrow into the soil 2 to 4 inches and pupate to spend the winter there.

Recommendations for residential control include hand plucking them off (for those who aren’t grossed out by handling them), or you can prune out heavily infested branches. The best way to destroy them is to place them in a bucket of soapy water. You can also use Sevin (active ingredient : carbaryl), but just be sure to use a liquid formulation and avoid spraying flowers where pollinators are foraging. Always be sure to read and follow all label information when working with any pesticides. These caterpillars don’t usually do enough damage in the landscape to warrant any pesticide use (especially on hardwoods), but if you do have large populations at a manageable height, just use the soapy water method to reduce the population for future generations.

We will be having our Native Plant sale again this fall so be sure to get your order in ASAP! All plants will be coming from our friends at Carolina Native Nursery in Burnsville, NC and are all native plants to NC!

You may ask, “Why should I plant natives?” or “I have enough to manage with my lawn alone, why add something else to my plate?” Native plants are amazing for you and for the natural world around you. Because these plants are native to our area and have evolved to be adaptive to our soils and climate, they are actually a lot easier to care for in the landscape. Most native plants require “no babying”, using less water and fertilizers than many ornamentals, not to mention they are BEAUTIFUL!
Because our way of life is urbanized now more than ever, we have a lot of fragmented land. This means that in some places, land has been broken up where it was once continuous and full of native plants to support wildlife.

The remaining isolated areas are sometimes not enough to support the wildlife left in them. In our own landscapes, we have transformed the land we have into a monoculture of turf, concrete, and exotic plants, repelling pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife. Adding a few natives back into your landscape instead of overusing ornamentals or exotics helps to preserve the complex web of biological diversity, which we call “nature”. They improve the health and help to restore ecosystems by providing food and shelter for pollinators, beneficial insects, birds, & mammals. Native plants also offer great nesting sites for birds, and act as larval hosts for many of our butterflies and moths!

It has been shown that this type of action also creates a “snowball effect”. This means that when you install natives in your flower beds and you get excited about seeing all the beneficial insects, birds, or butterflies, you begin to tell your friends & family. Then they add some native plants to their landscapes and so on. What you do for your ecosystem has an impact!

Tips for adding native plants in your landscape:

Diversify your landscape with: evergreens for winter cover & berries, plants with seeds, fruits, and nectar for food, grasses for shelter and seeds, and host plants for insects with larval stages.

Plan to have some visual interest in every season – this can be tough in the winter sometimes, but dried seed heads from coneflowers, plants with winter berries, or even grasses are beautiful in the winter!

Don’t plant too close to windows (because birds will accidentally hit them).

Mimic nature by planting in gentle sweeping curves, irregular shapes, clusters, and layers.

Plant so that your plants have room to grow! (Read that again!)

Expect & be OKAY with some foliage missing! – you can’t have beautiful butterflies without the caterpillars!

Come out and support your local extension office and your ecosystem this September by purchasing some native plants! If you have any questions about ordering, please contact Cari Mitchell, Horticulture Agent, at 828-632-4451.

“Because life is fueled by the energy captured from the sun by plants, it will be the plants that we use in our gardens that determine what nature will be like 10, 20, and 50 years from now.” – Doug Tallamy, American entomologist, ecologist, and conservationist

Hiring Certified Arborists & Being Proactive with Tree Management

Trees are valuable assets in the landscape, requiring specialized care to maintain their health and beauty. Poor tree care can be costly and harmful, while proper care enhances tree longevity, beauty, and value. Storms that damage trees are very common in NC, whether this be from severe thunderstorms, ice, high winds, or tornados. Downed trees and branches can be hazardous to people, property and they can disrupt our daily lives. Minimizing the risk of weak trees and the potential for this kind of damage is important.

Arborists can be full-service or consulting. Full-service arborists handle tasks like pruning, fertilizing, pest management, disease diagnosis, tree removal, and stump grinding. Consulting arborists provide advice on tree health, appraisals, and treatment recommendations but do not perform physical work.

Be cautious of door-to-door solicitors, especially after storms. Ensure the company is properly identified and certified, as storm damage often involves high-risk situations. Never rush into deals or pay upfront.
To proactively care for your trees, consider these tips:

Assess the risk of damage by evaluating trees on your property or street for existing issues that could worsen during a storm
Ensure proper planting and staking of trees
Choose the right tree for the right location
Maintain good pruning practices for both young and mature trees
Apply proper mulching techniques

By taking these steps, you can help ensure your trees remain healthy, safe, and beautiful.

Here are some great resources for tree owners!!
NCSU Trees Portal - Great videos and a Collective of Information on (Tree ID, Planting, Pruning, & Management)
Here are some tips on Hiring a Tree Care Professional
Find an Arborist
Tree Owner’s Manual: From Planting to Early Maintenance - Learn How to Do it Correctly
Pruning for Proper Structure
Who Is Responsible for the Trees? A Citizen Guide to Trees in the Community

Storms can hit trees hard in NC. Be proactive in your tree care.