50 birdsandblooms.com AUGUST I SEPTEMBER 2020
ASK THE EXPERTS
MEET THE EXPERTS
Kimberly and
Kenn Kaufman
are the duo behind
the Kaufman field
guide series. They
speak and lead
bird trips all over
the world.
Melinda Myers, a
nationally known,
award-winning
garden expert and
TV/radio host, has
written more than
20 books.
Q What kind of tanager is this?
Debbie McKenzie ANNISTON, ALABAMA
Q There’s something
growing out of the tops of
my brown-eyed Susans.
What could it be?
Stephen Ziring WILLOW GROVE, PENNSYLVANIA
Melinda: This distorted growth is caused
by aster yellows. This disease attacks over
300 species of plants, including rudbeckias,
coneflowers, marigolds, carrots and
potatoes. Aster leafhoppers carry the
bacterialike organisms that cause this
disease. The leafhopper feeds on an
infected plant and ingests some of the
organism, which it injects into the next
plant it visits. This won’t kill your plants,
but remove any infected materials to
stop the spread. Controlling leafhoppers
is difficult as they’re continually on the
move, and spraying insecticides can harm
beneficial insects that help manage pests.
Q I reserved a large patch of my property for
wild raspberries to grow, but now they’re taking
up more than 4 acres. What’s the easiest way to
manage them? Marge Berger NECEDAH, WISCONSIN
Kenn and Kimberly: You’ve captured this tanager in an
intriguing stage of molt. The gray-brown streaks are the
remains of juvenile plumage, just being replaced by the
yellow feathers of its first-year immature plumage. Juvenile
tanagers aren’t even illustrated in most bird guide books,
because they wear this plumage for such a brief time. At
this stage, summer and scarlet tanagers can look very
similar. Its bill may not be fully grown yet but already looks
too large for a scarlet tanager, and the wings don’t look
dark enough either. So it’s a very young summer tanager,
and it probably hatched not far from your yard.
Melinda: Continually pruning all the stems to the ground
as soon as they appear will eventually kill the plants. But,
unfortunately, this isn’t a practical or realistic option
since raspberries continually produce new shoots and
you’re trying to manage 4 acres. If you opt for a systemic
total vegetation killer, try to minimize the impact and
the amount used. Wipe the product on the leaves, being
careful that wet leaves do not touch desirable plants. It will
take several applications over time to manage the plants.
As always, read and follow label directions carefully.