It’s been more than a year since the release of the first ladybugs. We still don’t have an official opinion from forester Charlie Burnham on their impact. but at the August picnic, we all toured the site and inspected the hemlocks. What we saw made us cautiously optimistic. Although several trees have died, and evidence of the woolly adelgid infestation is everywhere, the intensity of the infestation seems diminished.

Most hopeful was the new growth we say on many hemlocks. Even damaged branches seemed to have tufts of pale green new leaves. The new growth is a prime target of the adelgid, and seeing in survive into August is a good sign. We’ll post more news as it comes in. The picture shows a ladybug (Pseudoscymus tsugae) feeding on adelgid ovisacs – which is what we hope is taking place everywhere in Hemlock Gorge.