Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Tuesday - September 04, 2012
From: Whitney, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests, Trees
Title: Sticky film on oak tree leaves from Whitney TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
What is the sticky film that is coating leaves on our oak trees?ANSWER:
Aphid poop. Sorry, you did ask. Since Hill County is in Central Texas, we are going to link you to several answers to similar questions in Central Texas.
Aphids are unusually bad this year, and we have answered many questions on them. From the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program, here is an article on managing aphid infestations.
Here are some previous answers to help you out:
Austin Aug. 8, 2012
Austin July 30, 2012
Austin July 14, 2012
Since all of these have more links in them, and possibly some duplications we think that's 'nuff said,
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Oak Bark Loss in Arlington, TX
May 04, 2013 - I have multiple oak trees in my yard (in north texas) that have begun to lose their bark in small chunks. I'm in the middle of the city so their are no deer and yes it's been a dry 2 years but this...
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