Last summer’s unusually warm weather fueled an explosion in the western blackheaded budworm, leaving masses of browning trees in many areas of Southeast. The worm, which is the larval stage of the budworm moth, is known to feed on the new growth of trees, leaving them with a brownish-red appearance.
The first observations of orchids in the area were in 2020. Now they are becoming more common.
A resident of Seldovia reported an infestation of worms infesting an area of salmonberry brush and nettle.
Volunteers at the Whittier Slug-Out learned about Alaska’s invasive species and helped mitigate European black slugs near a popular cove on Prince William Sound.
I saw an extreme amount of spittle bugs not only on grasses and plants but on flowers.
This season the birch pollen has been particularly bad. Some people with asthma have had to leave the state. The peak was May 18 when pollen counts were 974 grains per cubic meter.
"Returning from a walk with the dog I was struck by a mass of bizarre fire orange fungus tentacles covering all the stems of some low lying juniper bushed in our driveway. This is the first time I have seen it in 21 years of living here with the same juniper bushes."
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