Jamie: Have you looked closely at your developing peaches before and after they fall off? Growing peaches in Virgina calls for some up close and personal observation. There are two insects that commonly attack young peaches: plum curculio, which strikes early and has only one generation, and the oriental fruit moth, which is around for the balance of the season and can have 4 generations. Visits by either of these insects can be clearly seen on a developing peach in the form of a small crescent-shaped scar for the P.C. or a small blob of pectin on the skin caused by the OFM. When peaches are attacked by either of these insects their development soon slows and stops, and they eventually fall before attaining full size. I spray my peaches very early, soon after fruit set, with Imidan, although Permethrin would be an acceptable substitute. Then I thin the peaches to a spacing of 6-8 inches apart (another requirement for growing full-size peaches) before spraying them again. At that point I install nylon shoe store try-on footies on the little peaches, tying them over the branch or twig with a single knot. If I did not thus protect the peaches, I would have to spray at about 10 day intervals all season long. Your peach trees may be strong and sturdy, but if you do not prune them regularly to thin out the centers, the peaches will receive insufficient light to develop into first-class fruit. The best time to do this is just after harvesting the peaches, but if your trees are very tall and crowded, do it now. You must be able to easily reach the peaches from your ladder to thin them (and bag them, if you are inclined to do that), and it is much easier to spray a 12 foot tree than one that is much larger. It may take you a couple of years to fully understand the requirements for growing peaches in our bug-infested, humid, mid-Atlantic climate, but it can be done and it is worth it. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

A camera tip, I assume it's auto focus and wants to focus on a leaf or a branch that isn't where you're wanting. Try holding it away from your body/leg the distance you want to take the picture, press the button half way down, then put your intended item in the frame so it focuses and then shoot. That works with mine when it wants to be stubborn. For the bug, I think you're describing what I've been scratching my head over. I'm thinking maybe some kind of scorpionfly. The pictures I'm finding online are as close as I can get to what I'm seeing. Mine have bigger heads and the wings stick out more. I think whatever I'm seeing is beneficial, it looks like it's hunting for something alive rather than for food, mating or egg laying areas. Here is a link that might be useful: scorpionfly

I've always felt that I needed the good mechanical pull that a budding rubber provides, and to keep it from drying out I think it needs to be sealed with parafilm or wax. Parafilm is my first choice because it breathes a little. But it's not enough by itself to make me feel secure! I used the Ace rubber tape this year on clefts and felt like it worked really well. Rubber tape or bands or rubbers all seem good to me. I think that if you use the wide budding rubbers or tape and overlap thoroughly then the parafilm/wax precaution is probably redundant, but it's cheap redundancy and I do it. I use wide and long rubbers also because it's easier to wrap them off- you have so much to work with, and they're cheap enough that you can afford to cut off excess. Like MiHiGirl I'm in the Rockies, but not at a mile high! We're at 3200 ft, give or take a couple of feet. But it's definitely an arid environment: we get about 12-13 inches total precip per year.

TValenti: The next time you post photos, stand back a little with the camera and give us an overall view of the tree. Closeups are fine for diseased sections, but there is no substitute for seeing the entire tree and its surroundings. From what I can see of your cherry tree, with its apparently crossing branches, it is definately suffering from bacterial canker, which is the most likely cause of your branch dieback. It also appears that it may be in at least partial shade, and is apparently planted close to a fence. Cherry trees grow best as stand-alone specimens, in full sunlight. They should not be allowed to become "leggy", as yours apparently is, but should be pruned to a low, open vase shape if possible. Cherry trees are not like decorative specimens that can be tucked into a partially shaded corned and expected to do well. Your cherry tree will not die quickly, as bacterial disease may take years to finish off a tree, but it will be unhealthy and not very productive during the process. For now, I would prune that tree down and try to shape it for maximum exposure to sunlight. The newly-planted peach tree also appears to be suffering from bacterial canker, which it may have brought with it from wherever you bought it. What was the source of this tree, a local nursery or bigbox store, and was it potted or rootballed when you planted it? If you want to really grow peaches, you should plant a bareroot tree in spring from one of the better mailorder/online nurseries such as Adams County in Pennsylvania. Larger, tall potted trees are to be avoided if at all possible. Peach trees, like cherry trees, require a full-sun situation, and pruning and branch spreading are essential to shape the tree for fruiting. If you can give a peach trees these conditions, you will also have to learn to spray early against the common enemies of young peaches; the plum curculio and the oriental fruit moth. You will also have to learn to properly thin the peaches, since a healthy tree will set many more peaches than the tree can handle. Growing peaches is not easy even for the accomplished amateur, and growing them "organically" in the Eastern U.S. is a practical impossibility. Even if you bag your peaches in ziplock sandwich bags or try-on nylon "footies" as I am doing now, you must spray before bagging or the insects will damage nearly every young peach. It would be helpful if you would disclose your location when asking these kinds of questions to that we can get an idea of the kinds of climate and insect pressures you might be facing. Zone 7a tells us something, but could be many different places across these fruited plains. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA