This is from the Louisiana Dept of Agriculture and Forestry: There are many Internet websites that have posted photos of SOD symptoms on various plant hosts. Your best bet is to type 'sudden oak death' into a search engine and you should be able to see symptoms. Below is a basic summary of symptoms for some of the hosts most likely to be purchased in Louisiana: Azaleas: Look for shoot/twig and leaf blight. Affected shoots or twigs develop a brown to black discoloration that spreads along the twig and can spread into the leaves via leaf petioles. Symptoms include blackening of the petiole (leaf stalk), leaf base and leaf tip and may extend along the leaf mid-rib. Twig cankers can result in wilted shoots; in such cases leaves remain attached but may not develop any spots. Leaf infection can also occur without twig infection. Roots are unaffected. Symptoms are similar to those caused by other Phytophthora spp. on azaleas (and rhododendrons), but the development of symptoms can be more rapid. Viburnum: Infection commonly occurs at the stem base causing wilting then death. You may also see brown to black leaf infections. Flowers may also be affected. Pieris and Vaccinium: Look for brown stem lesions that lead to aerial dieback and leaf symptoms as described on azalea / rhododendron. Camellia, Kalmia, Syringa (lilac) and Leucothoe: Usually only leaf infections are seen. Leaf lesions are usually brown to black areas,typically occurring at the tip or edges of the leaves. On camellia, some shoots have also been found to be infected, leading to dieback.

I found a new site tonight that I'm having so much fun with! Check out the little buttons on the side of the blog, like "Can't think any more about dinner? We've got you covered." and "Snack emergency? Here's your panic button." The labels change, and so do the posts they link to. Lots of fun and some good looking recipes, plus great ideas for feeding kids and getting them involved with cooking. Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet Potato Chronicles

Here we have a low maintenance and low input urban food forest.

Joe, set up your messaging so people can email you. We don't want people to put their personal email or address out here on the threads. You'll get more replies. Also, if you edit your username you can put your USDA Hardiness Zone behind your name which helps people identify what kinds of seeds/plants grow in your area. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3371179/attention-newbies-please-read?n=147