#commonplantpests

'Tis the season! With the spring rains comes Cedar Apple Rust. Here, a gall hangs on a branch of an Eastern Red Cedar, one of two host plants needed for this pathogen's life cycle. The other being an apple, crabapple, or related species. The Rust will appear on the apple hosts shortly after bloom as yellow spots. Cedar Apple Rust rarely kills its host, but leaves and twig ends do become disfigured. Have you seem this gall on any cedars near you? I think it looks pretty cool, despite its effects. #cedarapplerust #juniperusvirginiana #commonplantpests (at Simsbury, Connecticut)