Author Archives: Rosemary

About Rosemary

Who: Naturalist and salamander enthusiast from Canada. Likes: Learning new ferns. Favorite part of the job: Hanging out with other people who like nature!

Keep Your Eyes Peeled for this Pest

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Rosemary

Quick Guide to Asian Longhorned BeetlesThe non-native Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is a serious threat to our maples and many other hardwood trees. The larvae dig deep into the heartwood; infected trees cannot be saved. Tens of thousands of trees have already been lost in the northern and central US.

In fact, it’s such a severe threat that the USDA has designated the beetle’s most active month—August—Tree Check Month. With early detection, infestations can be stopped in their tracks.

How to Identify

The ALB infests hardwood trees, such as maple, birch, horse chestnut, poplar, willow, elm, and ash. Signs of an infestation include:

  • Perfectly round, dime-sized (approximately 3/8 of an inch or 1 cm in diameter) holes with smooth edges left by adult beetles exiting a tree
  • Shallow oval scars in the bark (1/2-3/4 of an inch, or 1.3-2 cm wide) where the eggs are deposited.
  • Sawdust-like material on the ground around the trunk or on tree limbs
  • The beetle itself. The mature ALB is shiny black with white spots, measures 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches (2-4 cm) in length, and has two antennae up to four inches (10 cm) long. There are several lookalikes; to help, the USDA complied a look-a-likes chart.

Learn more

Read our primer on this species, explore AsianLonghornedBeetle.com, and share our Quick Guide to help us spot and stop it!

Monitoring the Monarch Situation

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Rosemary

A Quick Guide to MonarchsThe Case of the Missing Monarchs, which we reported on last summer, continues. For the second year in a row, observers are noting very few of these beloved bright orange fixtures of summer.

Their absence brings up a lot of questions, many of which cannot yet be answered conclusively. What we do know:

  • Monarch wintering habitat in the mountain forests of central Mexico has been greatly depleted in recent decades.
  • Because monarchs travel over such a wide area, they’re vulnerable to environmental change all along their route.

Stay Informed

There are many great resources closely monitoring the monarch situation including:

  • The Monarch Joint Venture, a partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental agencies, and academic programs.
  • The Xerces Society,  a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat.
  • And, locally, the Massachusetts Butterfly Club, a chapter of the North American Butterfly Association.

Spread the Word

The more people that know about the monarch’s plight the better. Share our Quick Guide to Monarchs, which explains how to identify a monarch (versus its lookalike, the viceroy) as well as other useful information.