Caterpillars you've seen on sumac
perennialfan273
12 years ago
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MissButterfly
12 years agoimabirdnut
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Smooth Sumac, Rhus glabra
Comments (73)And with that, goes the self-proclaimed high ground argument of "scientific neutrality." It is finally revealed that snasxs has been basically just using semantics to shroud the effort to defend the defenseless: a lost botanical soul from the continental land mass due west of this continent, brainlessly trying to survive in this New World. Anger or hatred? Not sure where that sentiment is derived, but it sure ISN'T Sinophobia as related elsewhere. For me, I'd dislike this plant's behavior in local environments whether it was from east Asia or from the moon. As for unanswered questions: snasxs has never 'fessed up to the origin of this posting - the pretense of inability to discern differences between Rhus and Ailanthus, thus promoting equal acceptability of both. The posting of Sun, Jan 29, 12 at 13:45 is especially telling in this regard. Who could believe THAT?...See MoreHow to get rid of Sumac trees?
Comments (33)Not all sumacs are alike, not all sumacs spread (the rope-like roots of those that do are called "ryhzomes"), and those that spread are a gardener's nightmare. I have only come up with one proven solution to getting rid of them, and that is by digging up and removing every single inch of rhyzomes by hand. This has been proven in Eastern Canada and the USA where sumacs are an invasive species. Roundup only kills the plant above ground; ditto for burning. Cutting (eg using a lawnmower) encourages spreading. Rototilling spreads the pieces of rhyzomes around where they will take root happily. There IS a herbicide that must be applied to the rhyzomes that will kill them, but since you have to dig them up to do so, you might as well just remove them. That herbicide is only legal for use in Canada by trained and licenced users, not the average gardener. It can be obtained in the USA, but as already said, you have to dig up the rhyzomes to paint them with it, so you might as well just remove them and not bother with the applicating of the herbicide. If you don't remove the parent plants, they will of course send out new babies to replace all you've dug up… Since the rhyzomes can go more than 2' deep, I doubt a root barrier would stop the spread. I am personally dealing with this exact situation right now. It is said that it takes 3 years of careful digging (removing bits you missed the previous year), to remove everything. So this is not a quick and easy project you must undertake. People will be happy to dish out free advice on this, when they see you on yours hands and knees digging, but virtually no one has any advice that is worth trying. Kneel and dig is your ONLY viable option. For three thorough, consecutive years. Tough if you have arthritis anywhere… All the best. In the picture below, I have dug up rhyzomes on the right side, just to the left of the Maple tree in the middle. The orange flags indicate where I left off, and areas to be watched for regrowth, or rhyzomes that go deeper than 2'. There are 2 adult sumacs on the left of the house. The original parent plants died long ago, and I eventually cut them down. So I'm sure the existing 2 adults are now sending out lots of rhyzomes… There are sproutings in the next door neighbour's property, so unless I put in a root barrier, and it WORKS, the rhyzomes with just come back from his property. And no, he won't bother digging them up. The lawnmower technique is the most he'll do… file://localhost/Volumes/LEXAR/DCIM/101ND300/DTC_8768.JPG...See MoreHelp! Severe caterpillar sting (possibly buckmoth caterpillar)
Comments (12)I am so sorry this happened. You'll never forget about this chance meeting, will you? Some caterpillar stings are terribly painful and can cause severe reactions. Are you hypersensitive to other insect 'bodily fluids' such as those from ants, mosquitoes and the like? My own experience was with the Saddleback caterpillar. I thought that I had been shot when my arm brushed against the stinging hairs. The bad thing about the buckmoth caterpillar is that they are often found in numbers. So be watchful. Wear gloves. Keep some meat tenderizer with you when working outside. Make a paste of the granules to apply directly to the site right after you've been stung. It will help. Purchase some benadryl to keep on hand for such incidents, both oral and topical. I've seen people develop what looks like broken blood vessels where the spines entered the skin. Took several days for the whole thing to clear up and go away. Tell us how you are doing!...See MoreFascinating caterpillars are back
Comments (5)I have tons and tons of various types of sphinx moths at night. They come to visit many different plants, but especially the different daturas, moonvine flowers, and 4 o'clocks (I have lots and lots and lots of four o'clocks blooming in fuschia, red, deep rosy-pink, medium pink, white and yellow). I don't see the caterpillars as often as I see the moths themselves. Well, I see the tobacco and tomato hormworms all the time, but don't see the cats of the other moths. I suspect it is partly because my free-range chickens and guineas keep the caterpillar population down in the landscape area around the house. I also think it may be that a lot of the cat's host plants are located in the 10 acres that are mostly wooded, and I stay out of the woods because of the snakes. Regardless, the garden is full of night-flying moths every night. My feline cats (as opposed to caterpillar cats! lol) are getting cranky. It is very hot all day and they want to stay out at night. However, we are having major predator problems locally, with bobcats, raccoons, coyotes (to a lesser degree than most years, though), foxes and big cats (panthers and cougars) taking quite a LOT of local pets lately. Thus, I make all the kitty cats come inside before dark, at least on the back screened-in porch, and they are tired of having an early curfew. My felines have all been fixed so that we don't have any more cats. Although some of the cats are great hunters, and they do keep the mouse and vole population down, they really don't mess with the other wildlife much. I thought I would have a major problem with the felines killing wild birds, but that has not been the case. It may be that all of our animals--dogs, cats, chickens and guineas--roam around together, are used to each other, and don't mess with each other--and that 'peaceable kingdom' type feeling carries over to the wildlife. My dogs generally don't even chase the cottontail rabbits who come to the yard to eat birdseed. Perhaps they get it from me....or perhaps because so many of the dogs and cats have been bitten by snakes....but ALL my animals are petrified of snakes! Luckily, this year we have seen mostly non-venomous ones. The sulphurs are hot and heavy in the garden right now, as are swallowtails of all kinds. I am not seeing as many monarchs lately, but expect to see them in October as they migrate. Dawn...See Moreladobe
12 years agoladobe
12 years agoperennialfan273
12 years agoKC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years agoterrene
12 years agosusanlynne48
12 years agoladobe
12 years agosusanlynne48
12 years agoKC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
12 years ago
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