morton tree talk

Today at the Arb

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:30:44 +0000

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Sycamore Tree

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:53:16 +0000

Name: Janeen
Email: j_witowski@hotmail.com
My husband and I are planning to put an addition onto our house, and we would have to remove the sycamore tree who’s roots are cracking the foundation. It breaks our hearts to have to do this, since the tree is about 9 ft. in diameter, and probably 80 ft. tall. A forestry expert from the IL. DNR said that this was quite unusual (According to him, a 5ft. tree would be a good size) Does anyone know of any company that would want to buy it? Not sure if transplanting would be an option…

dead trees

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:20:31 +0000

Name: R NAUGHTON
Email: robtnaughton@sbcglobal.net
How can I prove a farmer spraying his beans for insects killed my peach and plum trees?

BoB Naughton

Linden tree has something wrong

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:58:20 +0000

Name: Heather
Email: heathersmu@yahoo.com
Something is wrong with my Linden tree.

In the very early spring, something eats lots of holes in the leaves. It starts to happen about a week after the leaves come out. I have never noticed any kind of bug on the leaves.

The tree seems to be stressed from all of the leaf damage. It is starting to drop brown leaves already (Aug 18th) and in previous years all leaves have fallen before most other leaves in the neighborhood start to change colors.

For two years I used a Bayer systemic insecticide in May. It didn’t seem to make any difference whatsoever so I didn’t do it again this year.

Any idea what this could be?

Maple tree growth on trunk

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:11:49 +0000

Name: Irene
Email: yami_dartz@yahoo.com
I have a maple tree about 15 feet from water/lake. It has regular green and mustard colored growth on north side of trunk. Recently, however, there is also a beige fungus taking over the north side of tree trunk. Leaves are becoming more sparse and die-back looks like it will happen. What is the growth and will it affect my other maple trees?

Thanks much….Irene

health of lawn under branches of a large river birch tree

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:22:54 +0000

Name: Bob michiels
Email: sailcircus@gmail.com
In the spring, I put in new sod which thrived expect in the area under the river birch branches. The lawn has gotten sparce, thin, brown. There are some feeble blades of grass in this area and they have a white or silver look to them. I’ve tried watering more, because I was told this tree needs a lot, but it has not helped. Should I be fertilizing the grass? Is the tree depleting more than the moisture? Thanks.

crepe myrtles

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:20:35 +0000

Name: dorothy weaver
Email: mowglie_1@yahoo.com
a few years ago i read an article about starting crepe myrtles from a tree cutting. now i have access to some tress and would like more of the same ones, i can’t find information on how to do this. have you information on this subject you could share with me. very much appreciated. thank you.

Redbud tree

admin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:24:25 +0000

Name: Brenda Roberts
Email: bstarr52@yahoo.com
I have a young redbud tree (4yrs) facing west in my back yard. I noticed this year that on one side of the tree, there appear to be pods growing instead of leaves and some of the leaves have turned brown in that same area. The tree started out this spring beautifully, turning that pinkish lilac color first, then green leaves. These pods are on one branch of the tree. Could someone help me with this? I don’t want to loose this tree. Thank you.

Tree Census Project Underway

kjaros — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:51:05 +0000

We’re about a third of the way there! The Arboretum-led Tree Census teams are working hard gathering important data on the urban forest in seven counties. As of late June, they’re mostly finished in DuPage County while Suburban Cook County is roughly halfway completed. Kane, Lake and Will Counties are all in progress with Kendall and McHenry counties to follow.

The Arboretum is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to conduct a Tree Census of communities in the seven counties, taking readings of tree quantities, types, sizes, and more at and around nearly 1,400 locations.

The census will yield data such as how much carbon trees capture, how much pollution trees remove from the air, how much energy trees help conserve, the monetary value of the services trees perform and how much area is covered by canopy. The goal is to encourage land owners and civic leaders to save and plant trees for their community and environmental values, including management of climate change.

Believe It or Not! An Evening of Wicked Plants

kjaros — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:42:17 +0000

“A tree sheds poison daggers; a glistening red seed stops the heart; a shrub causes intolerable pain; a vine intoxicates; a leaf triggers a war.”

Do you think these ideas sound like story lines from a late night horror film or an episode of CSI or even an exhibit at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum? Imagine a science fiction story where plants devour cars, where killer algae smother ocean floors and where carnivorous plants polish off mice! For some of us, that’s what nightmares are made of, but is it based on fact or fiction!?!

Join us Wednesday evening, August 18, as Amy Stewart separates the plant facts from the plant fiction. In her New York Times bestseller Wicked Plants: the Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, Stewart takes no prisoners when she explores the dark side of the plant world. From strychnine to castor bean, from poison sumac to monkshood, from carnivorous plants to weeds that spontaneously combust, Stewart introduces an unforgettable cast of characters and tells their tales with her own wicked sense of humor. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, Stewart will present tales of bloodcurdling botany that will entertain, alarm and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers. A book signing will follow Stewart’s spine-tingling presentation.

Learn more about the dark and dangerous side of the plant world – if you dare!
Wicked Plants: The Dark and Dangerous Side of the Plant Kingdom

Wednesday, August 18, 7-8:30 pm
Sterling Morton Library
Register on line or call 630-719-2468.