My associate Mackensy Lunsford pointed out to me a horrific sight on our bagel run last Monday morning. Thousands…no, millions…of little white aphidy-like bugs were crawling all over the maple trees just down from the Walnut Street entrance of the Rankin Street Parking Deck; I alerted the city through the Twitter immediately but never heard back. Today, a week later, I went to see if there was any progress. The little bug-things have metamorphosized into little booger-like blobs that aren’t moving. This can’t be good for the trees.
In a city that’s so obsessed about going green, it seems a shame that we can’t take care of the green we got.
Thanks for reading through to the end…
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
Why didn’t the reporter find out what the sticky little bug things are? Call an arborist. Call someone at the Forest Service. Where’s the old reporter’s instinct? And instead of Twittering the City, walk down to City Hall and talk to someone.
Cottony cushion scale. Naturally occurring. Not likely to kill a healthy tree, but can be real boogers on house plants.
[b]This can’t be good for the trees.
In a city that’s so obsessed about going green, it seems a shame that we can’t take care of the green we got.[/b]
Good thing you’re a photographer and not an arborist.
What do they taste like?
Gotta say – I like a Council member who can call out bugs by name and describe their destructive potential!
They look like mealybugs, to me. Not good. Hopefully they will be discovered by a flock of birds.
another failure to implement diversity training. everything has a place and must feel the love, NOW!
I have them on my pumpkin patch. This is not funny…