Maple blight?

[jducoeur]

Totally mundane but fairly immediate question: does anybody know if something is attacking maples locally? I've got a guy in my backyard right now, chainsawing the big limbs that fell off the maple back there a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't given it much thought, but noticed this morning that, now that leaves are really coming out, I see that several of my maples are in really bad shape. Many dead leaves, lots of holes in the ones that are there -- it's all very unhappy-looking. If it was just that one tree I would be distressed (since it is, among other things, the shade tree for the addition), but the big one in front doesn't look much better.

So I'm curious whether something is going on. Plants aren't my forte, but I'm detecting a trend I don't like...

Comments

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I know the horned beetle infestation is hitting them hard (I have to kill my orchard).
Call your county ag extension through the 4H and ask for advice.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

I noticed an issue on our own maple, and on some others nearby. Not a blight, per se - I'm not seeing spotting on the leaves, for instance. They look like they've just been munched on, pretty massively. I'm not yet sure what the cause is, but I'm doing some research.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

It might be the Winter Moth...

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/winter_moth.pdf

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

It is almost certainly the winter moth. Damn thing also loves roses and blueberries...

[indigoserenity.livejournal.com]

Yup. Our maples look sad and munched on, even the little baby ones we did not intentionally plant. And I noticed a ton of dead caterpillars in the driveway that look just like the photos. Thanks for the explanation.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

And, because knowing is half the battle...

From last spring:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/04/15/this_spring_winter_moths_may_dominate/

http://massnrc.org/pests/pestFAQsheets/winter%20moth.html

Unfortunately, the other half the battle is actually biological - there's a fly that uses the winter moth caterpillar as a host. It will take some time to establish the fly in MA. In the meantime, our trees get munched.

[kls-eloise.livejournal.com]

Crud - I've been seeing those everywhere. That must be what munched my crabapple last year.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Winter moths! Thank you--couldn't remember what the caterpillars turned into.

All the maples on our street are in a bad way too. Very holey.

[isisofcool.livejournal.com]

Winter moths are the likely culprit. Our yard is covered with tons of "cute" inchworms, who are munching on the leaves ferociously. I'm not sure if there is much of a solution, and it woul dhave to be implemented pretty widely to be effective.

[jducoeur]

Hmm. Sadly plausible, given all the holes I'm seeing in the leaves. I hope it doesn't out-and-out kill all my maples: things aren't looking good...

[umbran.livejournal.com]

"Many heavily defoliated trees will produce a second
set of leaves. To help these trees, water them during
growing season droughts. The Department of
Conservation and Recreation publication “Helping
Trees Recover from Stress” gives guidelines for proper
tree care. To receive a free copy, please contact the
DCR Forest Health Program at the address listed
above."

Department of Conservation and Recreation
P.O. Box 484, Amherst, MA 01004
Tel: 413-256-1601
www.mass.gov/dcr

[jducoeur]

Sounds similar to jdulac's recommendation, but more detailed. Thanks!

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Perhaps BT or spinosad? Both are bacteria that target caterpillars specifically.

http://www.northeastnursery.com/garden/whatsnew_helpfulhints_wintermoth.html

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

your symptoms sound like winter moths.

It's unlikely to kill the maples, but it certainly weakens them. Baby them thru the New England summer -- when your lawn is turning brown (which is natural) make sure they have consistent water.

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

BTW, we have a nest of sparrows nearby and I notice that winter moth larvae are widely preferred as a baby food source.

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Oh! That might explain why it seems like we have less trouble than elsewhere nearby. Nesting birds, we have!

[jducoeur]

Useful info -- thanks!

[keshwyn]

There are a lot of posts on the Arlington gardeners list right now about how bad the winter moth caterpillars are this year. Many people who are die hard organic gardeners are talking about having their trees sprayed.

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

it may be too late for spray to be very effective. One of the problems with trying to control the caterpillars is that they roll themselves in the leaf or paste the leaves together with webby stuff and so topical applications don't necessarily reach them.

horticultural oil in the winter is probably the best thing, but I never manage to get to it... :(

[keshwyn]

I'm mostly looking at this as an exercise in preparation. We are likely planting fruit trees this autumn, and I think we'll need to plan on spraying them shortly after they go in. :/

The one upside I've heard is that they are doing a number on the Norway maples. Pity they can't be targeted to eat those alone....