Kip’s Comments - December 26, 2024 — LadagePhotography.com

Same Concept, Different Species

During my exploring today I came upon an ash tree losing its bark in wrap-around sheets. On the inner side of the bark were tracks where emerald ash borers had worked around the tree. Eventually, the ash borers killed this ash tree.

Knowing we lost a very nice ash tree to the emerald ash borer, as did countless others across the country, I could not help but compare the emerald ash borer outbreak with the current avian influenza outbreak affecting so very many birds across the country. Both outbreaks cover wide areas, both have an economic impact, and both are newsworthy. Yet, the outbreak of the emerald ash borer crept across the landscape with very little mention on a large scale. When many Canada geese and trumpeter swans began dying, the visual effect was much more dramatic. The focus was there, at least for those with a passion for the outdoors. This has been interesting - similar, yet so dissimilar. The landscape is ever changing.