Bob Gore

• August 24, 2020
• Written by director

One of the best attractions for any autumn school tour is a hunt for beech aphids.  Usually in late summer/early fall we will start to see branches of beech trees covered with what looks like white fluff but which are really insects feeding on the beech tree.  They look dramatic but don't seem to harm the trees and kids love watching them "wiggle".  Just before I left for vacation last week, Bob Gore alerted me to the first ones we've seen this year.  I don't know if they have survived the rain but it is worth searching for them along the trail.  One of the best ways to search for beech aphids is to watch the ground for the sooty mold fungus that grows on the honeydew secreted by the aphids.  If you see a patch of black fungus on the trail, look up and you might spot a colony of "boogie-woogie" aphids. For more information about beech aphids and some good close-ups, check out Bob's video.