Dogs are friendlier than people

I was walking on Pennsylavnia Avenue this morning getting a bite to eat with Paul Lester. He's one of our photgraphers. We had just finished a morning shoot at the U.S. Botanical Garden and we walked past this lady who was walking her dog.

The woman was looking away, but the dog looked right at me and even tried to give a sniff. I'm sure if the dog could have, he would have come over to me, sniffed me all over, maybe even trying to jump on or lick me.

So it occurred to me that dogs are much friendlier than people. I'm not suggesting that we go around jumping on each other and sniffing each other's butts, but I think we can learn a thing or two from our four legged friends!

Mushrooms...Be Careful

With all of the rain lately, mushrooms have been popping up all over. Many people like to eat mushrooms, but these can be some of the deadliest things on the planet. I had a neighbor who was from Switzerland when I was growing up. Patrick "recognized" a particular mushroom and picked some for part of his dinner. He was lucky to have only needed ICU for a week and that he ultimately survived. Not everyone is as lucky.

Mushrooms may also be a sign of an unhealthy lawn.

With that said, UDC Extension Agent, Sandy Farber, sent me the following e-mail this week:

Hi Howard,

Here is some information to share with your viewers from my colleagues at Ohio State Extension Service:

HOLD THE MUSHROOMS. High moisture levels in lawns and landscapes are bringing up the usual crop of mushrooms and subsequent calls about their control. Mushrooms are the fruiting portion of a colony of microscopic threads of fungus. These threads, called mycelium, grow throughout the area and consume organic matter in the lawn and garden. When conditions favor their development they produce a fruiting body we recognize as a mushroom. The mushroom develops and disperses spores to begin new colonies.

As interesting as they are, mushrooms can become a nuisance in landscapes. Large colonies can seriously impact the quality of turf. Homeowners are often concerned about risks to children or pets. There are no fungicides available to control these microbes. Control in the landscape involves manipulation of the food source or the mushrooms themselves.

*Remove individual mushrooms as they emerge. They will, however, continue to be produced until conditions change or until their food source is exhausted.

*Remove the organic food source on which they are feeding. This may be an old tree stump, buried construction material, overly thick mulch or even accumulated thatch in turf. In the case of thatch, core aerifying can speed up the decomposition process reducing the organic matter available to the mushrooms.

*Do not eat the mushrooms you find. Deaths and serious health problems occur every year to people who guessed wrong when identifying mushrooms. Do not make a casual identification of mushrooms and do not recommend eating wild mushrooms; leave the identification to the experts. Remember, "There are old mushroom hunters and bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters."

Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week is May 18-24

A couple of years ago a tree was shipped from a Detroit area nursery to Ed's Plant World in Prince George's county. Normally this would have been a routine thing, but there was one HUGE difference than normal. There was a quarantine on Ash Trees in the Midwest because a bug called, the Emerald Ash Borer had devastated millions of trees in the Midwest and parts of Ontario.

From the website : http://www.emeraldashborer.info/

Emerald Ash BorerEmerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. Emerald ash borer probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia. Emerald ash borer is also established in Windsor, Ontario, was found in Ohio in 2003, northern Indiana in 2004, northern Illinois and Maryland in 2006, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia in 2007. Since its discovery, EAB has:

• Killed more than 30 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio and Indiana. Most of the devastation is in southeastern Michigan.
  
• Caused regulatory agencies and the USDA to enforce quarantines (Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) and fines to prevent potentially infested ash trees, logs or hardwood firewood from moving out of areas where EAB occurs.
  
• Cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators and forest products industries tens of millions of dollars.
  
  

So, this bug establishes itself in the Midwest and the USDA places a quarantine on Ash trees. The nursery that shipped the bug to Ed's was, as I understand, fined out of existence, but the damage was done. Ed's Plant World was a victim of this Detroit nursery too and has cooperated with the State of Maryland in finding the trees that they sold. They have been nothing but a good business who has done the right thing.

The Emerald Ash Borer now lives in Prince Georges County and is spreading out. The state of Maryland is trying to stop the spread by aggressively talking out trees where the bug is known to exist, but the likelihood of them winning the war , against the invading bugs, is slim to none.

Regardless, The State of Maryland continues the fight. Here is a News Release that was e-mailed to me this week.





Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week is May 18-24
Stop the spread of the beetle
Don't take firewood on vacation, buy it at your destination

ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 14, 2008) - Governor Martin O'Malley has declared May 18-24 to be Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week in Maryland. The proclamation is part of an ongoing effort to inform residents about ways to help stop the spread of the emerald ash borer, a destructive pest that kills ash trees. The focus of the campaign is to encourage campers, anglers, scouts, and other outdoor enthusiasts to leave firewood at home, buy it at their destination and burn it completely. Since ash is used to make baseball bats, part of the awareness effort will be a fun summer-long campaign with the Bowie Baysox, starting with promotions at the May 24 and May 28 home games.

"With the beginning of the summer vacation season upon us, we remind residents that they can do their part to help stop the spread of the emerald ash borer by leaving their firewood at home." said Governor O'Malley. "Ash trees are important to our environment by shading and cooling our neighborhoods in the summer, by providing buffers along our streams, and as part of our timber industry, so we need to do what we can to stop this destructive beetle in its tracks."

As part of the state's effort to stop the spread of the pest, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is discouraging campers and other visitors from bringing outside firewood onto its properties. The Department will be notifying campers of the restriction when reservations are made and by notices posted at the properties. Personnel will be able to direct visitors to local sources of firewood and require campers to burn all firewood transported to a DNR property.

The beetle was introduced to Southern Prince George's County in 2003 after a Michigan nurseryman illegally shipped infested ash trees in violation of a quarantine in that state. This winter, nearly 12,000 ash trees were removed from neighborhoods and forests near Clinton and Brandywine. A year ago, another 25,000 ash trees were cut from the area. An ongoing surveillance program is in place to determine if the eradication efforts are successful. Purple-colored traps are now being hung in Allegany, Garrett, Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Charles, Calvert, St. Mary's, Montgomery, and Howard counties as one way to determine the presence of EAB.

"Because in Maryland the emerald ash borer is found only in Southern Prince George's County, our focus is to stop firewood from leaving the county; in fact, it is illegal under a state quarantine to take firewood or any ash products out of the county," said Agriculture Secretary Roger Richardson. "The beetle can only move a short distance on its own but it and others like it can move hundreds of miles on infested firewood."

The emerald ash borer is responsible for the loss of more than 30 million trees in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana where it has become established. USDA has estimated that losses could reach almost $300 million in the Baltimore area alone if the beetle were left unchecked. In Maryland, ash is the most common street tree in Baltimore, making up about 10 percent of total trees. Ash accounts for more than three percent of trees in naturally wooded area in Baltimore and surrounding counties. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources also estimates that about 20 percent of our stream side trees, vital to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, are ash trees.

Log onto http://www.emeraldashborer.info/ to learn more about the emerald ash borer and ways that everyone can help stop its spread. Maryland residents and property owners can call the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information center toll-free at 800-342- 2507 or the Maryland Department of Agriculture at 410-841-5902 to report dying ash trees or for help identifying a possible emerald ash borer.

Bzzzzzzzz

A n unusual thing happened last week at my son's elementary school. A swarm of bees had descended on a tree in the school courtyard. The school immediately closed the courtyard to students and thought the bees would fly away in a short amount of time.

After 4 days, the bees were still there and a bee expert was brought in. I had the opportunity/privelege to videotape the whole thing. The video runs about 15 minutes, but there are some very cool and educational things. If you've never seen how bees are captured, it's worth the watch.

Soil Testing

How's your lawn looking? If it's good, great for you, but if it's not where you want it to be, there are some basic things to do. For starters, raise the mowing blade and mulch. 3" is a good height and mulching will return the nutrients back into the lawn. Also, higher grass is more tolerant of hot/dry weather and the taller grass will block more light and make it more difficult for weed seeds to germinate.

Or maybe you're doing everything you should and it just doesn't look good. It could be your soil. if the PH is off, then the lawn may be incapable of absorbing any nutrients. The best thing to do before throwing away money on fertilizer and grass seed is to have your soil tested so that you'll know exactly what you should do to get it back on track.

Once again, DC Extension Agent Sandy Farber has tips and advice about soil testing:


SOIL TESTING FOR LAWN AND GARDEN. Homeowners often apply fertilizers to their lawns and gardens without knowing what nutrients might be deficient. This practice can lead to over or under-fertilization or even application of the wrong fertilization. It is possible that homeowners can waste quite a bit of money on wrong fertilizers or inappropriate application rates. High energy prices have caused fertilizer prices to increase significantly. It makes more sense now than ever to have your soil tested.

The soil test is an excellent measure of soil fertility. It is a very inexpensive way of maintaining good plant health and maximum crop productivity. The standard soil test provides the status of phosphorous (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), pH, cation exchange capacity, lime requirement index; base saturation and organic matter. Additional tests are also available for iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), soluble salts, nitrates, arsenic and lead.

Unfortunately, University of Maryland and the University of the District of Columbia no longer have soil testing labs, but Virginia Tech University does. A list of land- grant universities and commercial testing labs can be obtained from ANY DC, MD or VA Extension office in the metro area. Extension Agents can help homeowners or professionals interpret their soil test results. You will need to call your local Extension Office to determine how to take and process a soil sample, and where to send the sample to have it tested.

This link from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has links to extension offies all over the country.

Ice Cream and Birthdays

Last Friday, May 2nd, Philip Bernstein turned 8. As is tradition in my house, we get a Carvel Ice Cream cake.

Helaine and I both grew up on Long Island and we've been having Carvel Ice Cream cakes since we were kids. In the past couple of years, Carvel has expanded into the region and there is a locally owned store in Gaithersburg off Muddy Branch Road. I find that the cakes made in the store are a little fresher than the ones that are available at the supermarket.

So, on Friday afternoon, May 2nd, after I worked and after I spoke at Beverly Farms Elementary, I headed over to the Carvel and picked out a cake for Philip and I had them write "Happy Birthday Philip" on it.

We went out to diner and when we got home, we took out the cake and served it. The Carvel cakes that we get have a layer of chocolate ice cream, chocolate crunchies and then a layer of vanilla ice cream on top. I had picked out the red box which was supposed to contain the Vanilla/Chocolate Cake, but when I cut it, it was Vanilla/Vanilla.

We went on with the Birthday celebration but I decided to call the store the next day. After all, the cake was supposed to be a mix, not all one flavor. The owner answered and I explained what happened. He asked if I had grabbed the blue box or the red box. Apparently the blue boxed cakes are all vanilla. I was looking at the red box and the description on the box that said vanilla and chocolate and I told him that I had the correct box.

(I realize that mistakes can and do happen. I don't think that anyone went out of their way to mess up my ice cream cake purchase, but they should know that a mistake occurred so that they can correct it. Also, you learn a lot about people by how they react when something goes wrong. Do they freak out? Do they panic? Or do they stay calm and fix what they can?)

The owner then tells me to come back and he will give me a replacement cake. I was initially disappointed in the cake when it wasn't the right one, but the fact that the owner stepped up and made it right, makes me a happy and loyal customer.

So, if you're in Gaithersburg, stop by the Carvel on Muddy Branch Road and say hi to Wesley. He's a good guy!

Dog Vomit Mulch

This is a wonderful time of year as the days are pleasantly warm and the trees, bushes and grass are still in good shape.

But, there are always issues and one of them is a blight on the garden. Here is another tip from DC Extension Agent Sandy Farber:

DOG VOMIT or dog barf fungus has once again been crawling its way across landscapes. This somewhat grotesque, slimy barf-colored growth is actually not the fungus that its name indicates. It is a slime mold (Fuligo septica) that actually crawls along the surface of the mulch digesting organic matter. It can be yellow, orange, or pink in color. As it reaches maturity, the colony stops moving and firms up forming a mound that looks just like its namesake. This pile-o-puke eventually dries down and releases brownish clouds of spores when disturbed.

The most effective time to control this problem is when the mulch is being put down. At that time, the fresh mulch is easily colonized by slime mold. Watering in new mulch increases the moisture level in the relatively dry organic matter. This allows bacteria and other competitors to get established prior to the arrival of slime molds. This fierce competition for organic matter reduces the successful development of the dog barf later in the season. If the slime mold is currently in the landscape, the gelatinous or dry stages of the slime mold can be lifted off of the mulch and disposed of. It is, however, an amazing organism that you can simply enjoy for what it is.

So, now you know....

Eastern Tent Caterpillar

Perhaps you've noticed what look like big webs on tree branches lately. This is more than likely the Eastern Tent Caterpillar. They will eventually turn into a moth, nothing spectacular, but an interesting animal nonetheless. These guys live in webs made from their silk and my DC Extension Agent expert, Sandy Farber passed along the following:

DC Extension Service have reported that the silk nests of EASTERN TENT CATERPILLAR (Malacosoma disstria) in branch forks of cherry, a favored host, are now becoming very evident in Washington, D.C. Nests are rapidly moving past golf ball-size and closing in on baseball-size. The colonies may contain hundreds of hairy caterpillars and their collective image resembles patches of fur/or webbing on twigs and branches. The caterpillars are primarily being found on cherry and crab apple leaves. Many homeowners are surprised that trees can generally withstand the damage; a non-toxic control is simply to prune out the webs or remove them with a stick or a pole. If your trees are heavily infested, you can control them now, while the larvae are young, with a spray application of the microbial insecticide, B.t.(var. kurstaki)

If you do open these things up, have a bucket and gloves. I did this last year with the help of entomologist, Dr. Mike Raupp from the University of Maryland. The caterpillars were in there by the hundreds and they were fascinating and gross at the same time. I imagine that disposing of them in a double garbage bag will do the trick.

Beverly Farms Elementary

I had the pleasure of talking to the first graders at Beverly Farms Elementary School in Potomac on Friday afternoon.

As I was signing out, I was fortunate enough to meet the front office staff. In the picture, wearing their cool school shirts are Beth Brown, Principal,. Denice Etheridge, Administrative Secretary, me and Amy Alonso, Assistant Principal. Ms. Alonso was also the one who had the camera and e-mailed me the photo.

Nice kids, nice staff, nice school, makes for a nice afternoon. Thanks to all at Beverly Farms ES.