Sometimes the more obscure the subject matter, the more response it generates.
You might remember that, in a recent column, I answered a question from a reader about the worms that she recalled seeing on a tree and how they were used as fishing bait. I identified the tree as a Catalpa, and I pretty much thought that wrapped it all up quite neatly.
Not so.
Since then I've received a number of e-mails from other readers who saw the column and offered some additional (and useful) information. So for all you Catalpa tree fans, here's a selection of some of the comments I received:
"Re: Catalpa worms. In the deep South, Catalpa trees are parasitized by Catalpa Worms. They are reputed to be excellent fishing bait when in season. I've never used them myself but have friends who swear by them." – Larry Pardue (former Plant Information Specialist, the New York Botanical Garden)
"My father, now 95, had numerous catalpa trees here in Jonesboro, GA, an Atlanta suburb, for many years, raising them for the worms. He would harvest the worms one by one in the summer, put them into a bucket of moist sawdust, and store them in a refrigerator in his shop. The cool calmed them down. Then he sold them when anyone wanted them. He said he'd watched the bug lay eggs. He thinks that a kind of moth (candle fly, he called it) comes, gets on top of a leaf near the edge of a leaf and lays eggs up under the leaf. These develop into worms which eat the leaves. This may be more than you ever wanted to know, but I thought it would be fun to pass it on." – Hugh Waddy
"The worms on catalpa trees are not in any way similar to the red worms found in the ground that are used for fishing. Catalpa worms are large, fat, green worms that look very similar to a tomato hornworm. It is my impression that they are a natural pest/predator in catalpa trees and if not present naturally, larva may be available commercially. Advise your readers that if they go to the search engine www.alltheweb.com and insert the phrase "catalpa tree worms" (quotes not needed) they will get 311 web pages that should tell them about everything that they need to know about catalpa worms and may also provide a source for obtaining larva of the Catalpa Sphinx Moth, the source of the worm. They have been correctly advised about their efficacy as fishing bait." Charles Roth
Now be honest: where else but right here would you ever be able to find out stuff like that?
QUESTION: "I have a 5 year old Bradford Pear Tree that is not looking to healthy. It has been growing very full and at a good pace. This spring my tree has dwindled in size and is about 50% as full as it usually is. It did flower and the leaves are green, but some are a little gnarled up. I do fertilize it and make sure it gets watered during dry weather. Is this just the characteristics of the tree or is there something I could do to help it? Any help would be greatly appreciated." – Vicki Reimer
ANSWER: There is a type of blight called fire blight that causes the leaves to turn black and the tree to die. However the Bradford Pear is supposed to be resistant. Are you sure that what you have is a Bradford and not one of the cultivars like Aristocrat or some of the others? It could have experienced some damage from freezing if it put out in early spring and them experienced a hard freeze. This would show even if it did flower first then experience the freeze. You may try trimming back some of the gnarled and bad looking branches then fertilize to push out new growth. Hope this helps. If you have a friend in the garden center business you may want a second opinion of someone who can visually inspect the tree.
QUESTION: "I live in lower Michigan (with sandy, well drained soil) and have a 700 foot long driveway that I would like to "line" on each side with trees. The general effect that I would like to create is driving through the woods, where the trees make a canopy and you feel like you're traveling through a living tunnel. Would you have any suggestions?" – Lorre
ANSWER: A canopy effect on your driveway sounds beautiful. The "canopy" trees that you usually see in pictures are oaks. They take a long time to get to that size so you may want to think of some fast growing hybrid willows in the foreground to start with and a more permanent tree lining behind them with the oaks.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org or mail to: Steve Jones, "The Plant Man", P.O. Box 686, McMinnville, TN 37111. For resources and additional information, including archived columns, continue to visit www.landsteward.org
