Carranzas: If they ants are not bothering anything that you can see, why worry about them? No, they are not pollinating the tree. Do you know why you are spraying pest repellent weekly? Who suggested this? Bad enough to spray chemicals when you really need them. If you don't know why you are spraying, stop until you see a problem develop. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

This is a Pear and Cherry slug (Sawfly Larvae) Easily controllled with a twice yearly dusting of woodash or lime all over the plant - spring and Late summer/autumn See this helpful video: https://youtu.be/PXyPjvHRzNA?si=F_mfYnirV42dQz_f

Well... of course, as soon as I post this I find a list from the Arbor Day order (or at least, I think it was that year's order). No idea which is which (which of the ones that came in this bundle actually survived), but could the third photo be a young Sargeant Crabapple? That's on the list, as is Eastern Redbud, Washington Hawthorn, dogwood (I know it's not that), Goldenraintree and crapemyrtle (I remember wondering why on earth they were shipping crapemyrtles to New England!!) In theory (meaning assuming they sent what they said they were sending), it should be one of those -- and the crabapple seems like the only one it could be? I'd be floored if they were shipping free Bradford pears (which is what someone on Name that Plant thought it was as well) -- aren't they considered more or less invasive plants in a lot of areas these days? So I'm hoping for Sargeant crabapple since I wouldn't mind having one of those for the birds (means the little guy can stay right where he is now, in the bird/butterfly garden).

It's probably the heat. Cherries don't do well in the heat. It should start to get better by the end of September if you keep the tree consistently watered. If you really wanted to go out of your way to tend to the tree, you could mist the leaves during the middle of the day (sometime between 12:00 to 4:00 ). I've even heard some people have very lightly sprayed their trees with mineral oil, or lightly rubbed some petroleum jelly onto the leaves, to help keep them from drying out. It's the height of summer right now, and a little browning is to be expected. San Jose has clearer skies than San Francisco, so less protection from the sun. In short, what you are seeing is perfectly normal for the climate you are in. There's a reason most commercial cherry orchards are based in Michigan and Eastern Washington. Also, in San Jose (all the paved surfaces in the surrounding area has an effect on temperature) it's quite likely your kwanzan trees are not getting quite the degree of winter chill that they would prefer. This results in slightly reduced vigor, and that is also associated with browning of the leaf tips. Your tree should fair better in future years when the roots have become more established (and they can provide a more adequate water supply to the leaves).