Two Brock U. scientists and Marcy Woods

Fort Erie Post May. 2009 Earl Plato
We are concerned about the many hemlocks found in Marcy’s Woods. On May 15th we lead Sarah Leone, Plant protection inspector scientist, into Marcy’s Woods to look for an important pest of hemlock trees, the Hemlock Wooley Adelgid. Daughter Allison and I had already looked for the tell tale cottony white egg sacs at the end of branches. We found none but we are not scientists. Why so serious? The small aphid-like insects, the Wooly adelgid sucks sap from the needles. For most of its life it is covered by a white, woolly substance that it secretes over its body. They feed primarily on young branches causing cessation of growth. There is a discoloration and premature dropping of needles, the dieback of branches and possible death of the tree in little as one year! Infestation has been found outside of Rochester, New York. That’s not far away - 160 km - 100 miles. We need the least-toxic control when it arrives. Check your home hemlocks.Contact me at
plato1@cogeco.ca to report any local infestations. Thanks.
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Brock Phd. Student, Aynsley Theilman, followed wife Elaine and I from Marcy Woods to the alvar area off M road on the DiCienzo property. That Thursday, August 6th was mosquito day.
Mosquitos every where! That’s exactly hat Aynsley wanted. In that alvar area
!limestone surface? She wanted to collect mosquito larvae. She believed that these crptic mosquitos were rare. She called me later to say that she was successful. Later she would let mosquitoes bite her. She would examine their blood for its DNA. A real scientist using Marcy Woods for research.