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Facing Fall Webworms
By Jessica Crabtree
Typically, web worms receive a bad reputation for their appearance in trees, disturbing the pristine look of a yard. Through much of August and all of September, large spots of white, silken webs could be seen throughout trees. At first glance, maybe a few took up residence. A few weeks later, many more joined. In this piece we will indentify the fall webworm as well as give the various methods in controlling the eye-sore.
Fall webworms occasionally get confused with bag worms. Hyphantria cunea (Drury) or fall webworms appear in the fall. They are native to North America, attaching themselves to more than 88 kinds of plants according to the Texas AgriLife Extension from a 2015 article titled, “Fall Webworm” By Bill Ree, Extension Program Specialist II–Entomology and Marty Jungman, Extension Agent–IPM. Such plants include many fruit, nut, ornamental trees and shrubs. Most popular are the pecan trees.
Fall webworm’s preference in plants changes per region. For instance, in West Texas the webworm prefers mulberry, poplar and willow. In East Texas, sweetgum, oak, hickory and pecan are a favorite. Surprisingly enough, the fall web worm will not attack pines and other needle-bearing trees, better known as conifers. (The Pinophyta, also known as Coniferophyta or Coniferae, or commonly as conifers, are a division of vascular land plants containing a single class, Pinopsida. They are gymnosperms, cone-bearing seed plants.)
To read more pick up a copy of the November 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call us at 940-872-5922.
One of my professors out at Texas Tech University always told us that we aren’t just raising cattle, we’re raising grass, because without grass there is no cattle business. The same applies to most livestock species and crops we seek to raise- without good land management, no good yield can grow.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tony Dean
There are a handful of grasses on North Texas grazing lands ranchers need to know, not because they are highly desirable, but rather because they are not of much value. I call them “decom” plants, which is am acronym for “Don’t Ever Count On Me.” Silver bluestem is a “decom” grass.
Silver bluestem is a perennial which grows in all areas of Texas. It can survive in almost all soil types, and in full sun conditions or in semi shade. It grows up to three feet tall and is easily recognized with the presence of the white fuzzy seed head. Also, one of the identifying characteristics of Silver bluestem is a bend in the stems at each node, causing the plants to take on a rounded shape as they mature.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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