Taking good care of the plants in your backyard can bring you great satisfaction.On the other hand, it also offers a good deal of challenges. Occasionally, you could come upon strange things that leave you scratching your head. Recently, a Reddit user from Oklahoma found something unusual in their trees: a significant quantity of yellow jelly and what they referred to as a “jelly alien nut.” Confused and curious, they turned to the online community for answers.
This mysterious phenomenon was determined to be caused by cedar-apple rust. To complete its life cycle, it requires two hosts; apples and crabapples are the most common hosts. Although the name implies cedars are involved, juniper trees can also be affected.
How to Identify Apple-Cedar Rust
The symptoms of cedar-apple rust vary depending on the type of tree it infects. On the twigs of juniper bushes, brown, persistent galls may develop. When spring weather turns damp, these galls grow orange gelatinous horns. The juniper host is unaffected, however the twig farther away from the gall may die.
The leaves of apple or crabapple trees get circular yellow blemishes shortly after they bloom. As summer progresses, these lesions turn into brownish tufts of threads or cylindrical tubes. They are hidden beneath the blotches on leaves, twigs, and fruits.
Understanding Life Cycle
Now, you might be wondering how long this ailment lasts. Well, galls start to form seven months after the initial disease. After eighteen months, they turn into gelatinous lumps. The galls produce golf-ball-shaped depressions from which telial horns emerge the following spring. When it rains in the spring, the brownish telial horns spread out and become a vivid orange color. When they release their spores, the horns eventually droop, dry out, and fall off. After they die, the galls remain attached to the tree for as least a year. The infection is most noticeable in the spring when the galls are covered in gelatinous masses.
Managing Cedar-Apple Rust
Fortunately, there isn’t much of a treatment for this infection. Cut off the afflicted areas to prevent the illness from spreading. It’s crucial to keep in mind that cedar-apple rust won’t kill your trees—it will only damage the plants’ aesthetics. If you would rather be proactive, you can use fungicides or select apple cultivars that are resistant to this disease.
To sum up
In conclusion, even though you might not often see cedar-apple rust in your backyard, your trees are not in grave danger. It’s essential to comprehend this infection so that, in the event that it materializes, you can respond appropriately. Tell people about this information so they too can recognize and understand cedar-apple rust. I’m toasting to your productive gardening!
After sitting down on the bench, they discovered a curious little creature completely covered in fur
While relaxing on a bench, they noticed an unusual little creature covered in fur that seemed to resemble a harmless insect. The children were eager to reach out and touch it, but Leslie Howe, who was at the Gwinnett County park with her baby and two other children, had a nagging sense of caution.
Leslie took advantage of the sunny weather and brought her children to enjoy the day outdoors. Despite their curiosity, Leslie wisely discouraged her children from approaching the strange creature, a decision that would later prove to be a very fortunate one.
It turns out that Leslie had unwittingly protected her children from a potentially dangerous insect. The creature in question was a pus caterpillar, which, unlike ordinary caterpillars, has poisonous spines that can cause severe pain upon contact. A bite from this caterpillar can cause serious illness and excessive sweating.
Caution is advised when exploring outdoor areas, especially in parks and places with dense vegetation. If you come across such a caterpillar, keep a safe distance and make sure children do not come into contact with it. The poisonous pus caterpillar has caused considerable pain in places like Florida and North Carolina, where some have suffered painful reactions after touching or being dropped by these insects.
Please spread this warning widely to protect others. It is better to be safe than sorry and not endanger the health of our children.
Leave a Reply