The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) recently reported a new-to-Connecticut boxwood disease, a fungus called Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum. Sounds ominous, doesn't it? Wait till you learn more.
Connecticut, like many other states, is in a serious budget crunch. One of the agencies facing closure is the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) in New Haven. In fact, CAES is one of three state agencies slated for 100% elimination should Connecticut's 'Plan B' budget cuts be implemented, according to a May 13, 2011 email I received from Michael R. Short, Agricultural Research Technician in the Department of Forestry & Horticulture at CAES.
This time of year the undergrowth of Connecticut woodlands begins to show a tinge of green. This color is certainly welcome relief after a long winter. Too bad so much of this color is due to invasive Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii de Candolle). This thorny shrub dominates unmanaged wooded areas. Deer don't eat it and birds spread it by eating and dispersing the shrubs' prolific fall berries. Japanese barberry quickly grows into large thickets that provide cover for mice and an ideal environment for immature blacklegged ticks - the very ticks that carry Lyme disease. In their early life, ticks are susceptible to desiccation – they need high-humidity at the ground level to thrive. Japanese barberry accommodate young ticks by leafing out earlier than most native shrubbery. The early leaves help maintain moisture levels at ground level by blocking drying sunshine.
Be part of a Connecticut study on home-recipe deer deterrents…
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