Hi Sym, Spider mites can be seen with a good magnifyer, loup, or stamp glass. They are tiny spider-like critters that scurry when disturbed. Some species, but not all, make fine spiderweb-like strands. When I periodically wipe my orchids' leaves, the residue is sometimes grayish (dust?)and sometimes more yellowish (air pollution). Unless you see critter specks in the wipe, the residue is probably "normal." I have one Paph--a mottle-leaved type. Any and all damage to it shows up in rusty orange, so I doubt that the color of your mystery damage is diagnostic by itself. It does, however look extensive and in need of attention. If it were my paph and I could more or less rule out spider mites with a magnifying glass, I would first isolate the plants from all others, and then start a good anti-fungal treatment right away. Sc

my 2 red oaks were in a pot(24in) until I figured out where to put them.They did well,after I put them in the ground,they seemed to just die.The few leaves they had turned brown and fell off. I planted them at the same depth that they were in the pot and used compost from their pot to help fill in the hole. At first they were ok,then they just all of a sudden look dead.They are still bendable but I don't think they will make it through our zone 6 winter.\ What can I protect them with ? When they were planted,they were planted together(they were bare root saplings from the extension office).Watered in well and I have tried to keep them watered here in our drought. I put small fencing around them to save them from the weedeater and mower,that is all I did to them. Do you think they will make it ? Our back yard is all sun,but they are protected from the winds(about 6ft from the western side fence)close to a Mulberry,that we have trimmed back to re make into a bush,it was a 20-25 ft tree that was sprawling and leggy. I could really use any advice available. Lynn

They are probably referring to the same thing. If you are in the Midwest most people will say Red Oak but if you look at a Quercus rubra tag in the nursery the common name will be listed as Northern Red Oak. In my experience Red Oak (or NRO) is quite variable in fall color but usually gives a decent display. I prefer many of the white oak hybrids like Prairie Stature, Forest Knight, etc... as they are more resistant to oak wilt and still give a nice color display in the fall. Growth rate of the red oak group as a whole is typically quicker than that of the white oak group. If your soil is acidic enough also think about trying Quercus ellipsoidalis or Quercus coccinea, both of which tend to have excellent fall color.

Thanks! This plan is being inspired by an issue similar to the "America Elm". The road used to be planted with Black Pine, which were very salt tolerant. An epidemic of bark beetles wiped them all out. Interestingly, I had been looking for salt tolerant evergreen replacements before, and never ran into the name pinus radiata. I'd be worried the bark beetles would take them out. Eastern White Pine is IMHO the prettiest pine and totally immune to the local diseases, but particularly vulnerable to salt. That's what the neighbors planted. Ended up using pitch pine, which is very salt tolerant, but still might have some beetle vulnerability. Also considered Atlas Cedar. There are a lot of wild Juniperus virginiana thriving on the sight. Euonymousis an invasive species here. I did consider sea buckthorn for erosion control on another spot. While it isn't considered invasive in my area, I'm told some are worried it will be. I'll have to look into Holly Oak...it should survive here. It's rated for my zone. Tupelo is a tree I really think is in theory perfect for the area. Very wind resistant, slightly salt resistant, beautiful fall color, not particularly susceptibility to local diseases. The catch is this is for my parent's property...I won't be there to water them. I can't find a cheap source of tupelo, and I hear it doesn't take well to transplanting. So my "plant a bunch and hope some survive neglect" strategy likely won't work for it. I'm waiting until I can get my parents more interested in the project to plant a couple tupelo in the "place of honor" where they can be seen from the house. At the moment, I'm looking for a row of cheap bare root things I can plant in a row along the road in front of the field. This part of the project is deciduous because I want to keep the Fall color of the area and not completely obstruct the neighbor's view.