One thing about many of us plant health care providers is that we like a challenge. Not only do we find new plant varieties and species introduced into landscapes each year, but also new pests and diseases. A newer tree disease in our area, pear trellis rust, is one of those new (and challenging) diseases that we are going to be forced to face. European pear rust, or trellis rust, behaves a bit differently than our native cedar-apple and cedar-hawthorn…
The Monarch butterfly is a pollinator insect that is especially in need of our help. Think about this, in 1996 an estimated 1 billion monarch butterflies migrated to Mexico. But, in 2014 only 60 million monarch butterflies completed their migration. This represents about a 90% decrease. Two main factors are believed to be contributing to the decline in the monarch butterfly population. First, the population of milkweed plants has been diminishing due to land development and changes in agricultural practices….
The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development contacted Owen Tree Service to set up an advanced training seminar covering invasive pests that have, or could, threaten Michigan’s environment. As a result, approximately 30 Owen Tree Service & Owen Tree Service-Herbicide Division employees had the opportunity to attend two seminars given by Lauren Walsh and Caitlin Burkman from the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development. The majority of the morning was spent with Lauren discussing invasive pests threatening Michigan….