Question of the Week
browse by: questions
My red oak has leaves that I can see through. What's wrong and what can I do?
Thank you, Bob Harper, for sending this question! This is not uncommon at all.
The tree is healthy overall. There are no actual holes in the leaves. But the leaves look like skeletons. Actually, this kind of damage is called skeletonized. A feeding insect causes this pattern of damage.
A disease would create some spotting, then overall yellowing, or it might actually have fungal spores that you can see with a hand lens.
There are many different types of insects that could be responsible for this damage, but once you see that damage the insect is usually gone. So at this point, I would suggest just ignoring the issue. If the insects are gone, there is nothing you can do anyway. There's no spray you can apply or anything you can do to kill insects that aren't there anymore.
And there's no way to repair the damage to these leaves. These insects won't be back until the same time next year, but even then, you're not likely to see the insects before you see the damage.
But these insects don't do a lot of damage to the tree and it will recover.
POW:
Gregg's Blue Mist Flower (Eupatorium or Conoclinium greggii)
Gregg's Blue Mist Flower is a perennial that's root hardy to 0°. It thrives in partial shade, as long as it gets some sun, loves very low water, and tolerates clay soils. It usually stays one to two feet tall, but spreads easily in width by its roots. In fact, its exuberance may take over a bed in quick time. Consider it more of a “groundcover” than an upright perennial.
Aside from being trouble free, this native plant is a guaranteed butterfly magnet. It flowers in spring and summer, but it is in fall that it puts on its most magnificent show, attracting Queen butterflies, migrating Monarchs, and many others.
It spreads quickly (good or bad, depending on what you want). It's also easy to divide and move to a new area after the last frost. Just cut out a chunk, digging deep enough to grab the roots.
It may brown in winter. In early spring, clip it back to the ground or to green leaves to wrangle its spread and encourage new growth. In May, you may want to prune it back a little to control its height and encourage a more lush habit.
Related Episodes
