Blogs

In the words of punk music icon Joe Strummer, “If you’re after getting the honey, then you don’t go killing all the bees.” This tune always runs through my mind when I read about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) – a phenomenon in which bees abruptly die off in such numbers that there are not enough left to support the colony.

On Saturday, September 21, local residents and tree lovers from across York Region braved the rain to explore the Lake Wilcox neighbourhood and learn about the many trees that call it home.

Perhaps this sounds familiar: it’s summer, and the leaves on some of your plants have taken on a whitish hue. You curse the skies for dulling the vibrant greens of your pride and joy and worry it’s something serious. Well, my friends, this is powdery mildew. Few plant species are actually immune to this unwelcome visitor but the good news is, it’s generally not a threat to your plant’s health, and there are ways to mitigate the problem and prevent reinfection.

For fall leaf colour, there is one tree species that stands out as more magnificent than all the rest. Sugar maples (Acer saccharum) have a wonderful red to green gradient, and the brilliant yellow of the black walnut (Juglans nigra) shimmers in the sun. But it is the tamarack (Larix laricina), with its fluorescent yellow-orange needles, that wins my heart every year.