Dave: There is a condition known as sunscald which occurs in northern latitudes when the low-angle rays of the sun strike the trunk while ambient temperatures are way below freezing. This causes thermal shock on the trunk, and can result in bark splitting. Many growers in northern locations paint their trunks with white latex for that reason. It is debatable whether you are far enough north for this condition to occur, but in northern Nebraska it may be possible. Truth be told, there there may be other factors at work here, and it is not always possible to pin them down. Stuff just happens to trees, and if it does not seriously affect the health and productivity of the tree, you can be grateful for that. If these are full-dwarf trees and they have made it to 14 years without serious issues, that is pretty good in itself. Dwarfs will not compete with standard or even semi-dwarf trees for longevity. My semi-dwarf trees that are older than 15 years have lots of bark scaling on some of the upper limbs, but they continue to soldier on and produce, and I don't plan to remove them. It sounds as if you attention to spraying is very good, but I don't think there is any chemical spray that could have prevented bark splitting, and assume that the white worm was just taking advantage of a place to hide. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Yes, that looks close. OP doesn't know what he's got, yet somehow, the bar is raised much higher for a guy sitting at a desk perhaps 100 miles away. Welcome to the internet! OP, the salient features of this discussion are that you have some trees in very advanced states of senescence, a fancy word meaning death. Those trees are not at all savable. As to what's happening, better call your County Extension person quick, before Governor Slash And Burn axes those guys. Or at the least, provide some more information, so we can have some hope of getting to the bottom of this thing you report-lots of dead and dying trees in your neighborhood. The internet is a real change in society, but we can't work outright miracles with it. +oM

I have had many young trees sustain damage from deer rutting (up to 50% of the circumference); they did eventually seal up the wound. It takes a few growing seasons. There will be reduced foliage in the area above the injury until new bark grows. Yes, it is more prove to environmental stresses during this period (such as drought, or insects). I know when my own trees went through this I did a LOT of reading on the topic. Almost universally, I read not to apply any tars or sealants to the wounded area. I did some minor "cleaning" of the damaged bark with a knife. Canopy above seems to be gradually filling in too now. I have read that recovery does depend on the tree species to some extent. I wonder if there may be regional variation as well. With more temperate (less extreme climates) being an advantage (good precip, not too extreme in heat or cold)..., but only guessing about the impact of climate tree damage recovery. Maybe there is also a difference in recovery depending on the AGE/size of the tree; most of mine that have been targeted for damage (and subsequently recuperated), were juveniles (mostly the damage being done wIthin the first year..., maybe territory marking of some kind). Nonetheless, I have seen good recovery on the following trees; Ginkgo biloba, Magnolias, and Cedrus (Cedar).

Frogs are adorable, but they eat a lot of bugs. Your house won't have enough of them for him to eat. I have a friend who has a terrarium she keeps frogs in, she buys a lot of bugs at the pet store. Cannot say if they like this life or not, but she enjoys them.