Tendrils

Ash Trees

SNOW! Overnight I got six big inches of snow here at my cabin. Snow to me means photographs. Nature all dressed up in fancy sparkly dress.

This afternoon my camera and I got our hiking boots on and went up the mountain. It has been much too long since we’ve been out to take in the charm beyond my gardens and my yard.


I was in for a reality check. I wasn’t noticing, “Nature all dressed up in fancy sparkly dress.” But I was noticing something very heartbreaking.

I knew that Emerald Ash Borer had been attacking trees here on the mountain but to see so many in such a state of decline was a shock.


The Emerald Ash Borer is a native of north-eastern Asia. The first introduction of EAB to the US probably was to Michigan in the early to mid-1990s. Since then EAB has been found in 35 states.

What you are seeing in all these images, that lighter color of the bark. It’s called “blonding” and is a sign that the tree has been attacked by the EAB.

A sign that the tree is going to die. Soon there will be no Ash trees here in the mountains. This afternoon was indeed quite the reality check.

Brenda Clements Jones

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6 responses to “Ash Trees”

    • Thanks LaVonne. Not really ruined actually. It was WONDERFUL to be out in those six inches of snow, being a little kid. It certainly did strike me that there are so many trees that will be gone. Mother Nature though, has a way of taking care of things and soon other trees will come in to take up the empty spots.

      Thanks for reading my posts!
      Bren

  2. Horrible news. Sounds like it is spreading really fast. I wonder if our woods here in the Ozarks of AR, even have ash trees and if so, whether the EAB will come here, or maybe is already here. So sad that your beautiful woods is under attack….one that will probably succeed. So very sad.

    • Hi Judy, there are indeed Emerald Ash Borers in your state. You might look at this article: https://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/fsa-7066.pdf and if you are REALLY interested, investigate the status in your county. And as you can see from that article, there are indeed ash trees in Arkansas. If you have some in your yard that you’d like to save, it is possible. It costs though, one price I have seen from an old source says it can cost $20 to $35 per year, per tree.

      On the other hand though, I have total confidence that Mother Nature will prevail and fill in those empty spots with other trees that will grow tall and strong.

      Thanks bunches for reading my blog posts!
      Bren

    • Hi Libby,

      It is for sure sad for our forests. I though have confidence that Mother Nature will replace these trees with others that will grow beautifully to be tall and strong.

      Thanks bunches for reading my blog posts.
      I miss you guys.
      Bren