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View Full Version : The Tale of a Bird Cherry Tree (9 pictures)

G3owner
28th of June 2006 (Wed), 12:10
Close to my place is a beautifully evenly grown and rather big Bird Cherry tree (Prunus Padus). Earlier in the season it had green leaves and was flowering with it's white and aromatic flowers. This morning I walked by with my dog, and was surprised by the change. All leaves were gone, and the poor tree had been totally wrapped by the larvae of the Bird Cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella).

These pictures show how it looks....

The Bird Cherry tree in the afternoon sun
http://albums.myownsite.org/prunuspadus/PrunusPadus_01.jpg

The stems are entirely covered with a silvery web made by the insect larvae
http://albums.myownsite.org/prunuspadus/PrunusPadus_03.jpg

A very neat web is thoroughly covering stems and branches
http://albums.myownsite.org/prunuspadus/PrunusPadus_04.jpg

These small marodeurs are the guilty ones. Most of the ones in this picture are dead and dry
http://albums.myownsite.org/prunuspadus/PrunusPadus_05.jpg

The larvae of the Bird Cherry Ermine is about 4 cm long
http://albums.myownsite.org/prunuspadus/PrunusPadus_06.jpg

They have been producing 'nests' like this one under some branches.
I suppose this is where the new pupae are produced.
http://albums.myownsite.org/prunuspadus/PrunusPadus_07.jpg


Nature is fantastic, though.
This wasp is laying it's eggs underneath the covering web, and it's larvae will feed on the Bird Cherry Ermine.
They will salvage the tree within a few years by outnumbering the pest insects.
http://albums.myownsite.org/prunuspadus/PrunusPadus_08.jpg

There is still life in the tree, and I am sure it will survive...
http://albums.myownsite.org/prunuspadus/PrunusPadus_09.jpg



Hope you enjoyed the story and the pictures! Have a nice summer - I'm off for my summer hollidays now :D

Bamce



EDIT: Ooops. There was a restriction of 8 pics, so I removed one... :oops:
pup
28th of June 2006 (Wed), 13:02
very good pics / and commentary

enjoyed it

i feel bad for the tree but glad it will make a recovery
superdiver
28th of June 2006 (Wed), 13:29
Are you SURE these trees survive this? It seems catastrophic!
G3owner
28th of June 2006 (Wed), 13:50
Are you SURE these trees survive this? It seems catastrophic!

Yes - they can survive this rough handling for two-three consecutive years, and that is usually enough for the wasps and other circumstances to take care of the pest insects!

Bamce
yakbut
28th of June 2006 (Wed), 17:19
Nice series, i like the second one best.:-)
G3owner
30th of July 2006 (Sun), 13:20
Today, four weeks after the pictures above, I returned and to my big surprise the tree was all green again! Just compare this picture to the first one. The insert shows that the insect web is disintegrating. A strong tree it is! :shock:


Bamce
keenasmustard
30th of July 2006 (Sun), 13:58
Truly amazing series. Nature is an incredible thing!
superdiver
1st of August 2006 (Tue), 00:57
Just amazing...thanks for sharing!
Anthony J Howe
1st of August 2006 (Tue), 03:37
This is a fantastic story of nature and the plight and recovery of the Bird Cherry tree, wonderful work Bamce.