Browsing: Lifestyle

When plant leaves turn yellow or white or get brown at the edges in summer, it’s likely a sign the amount of water they’re getting is not keeping up with the heat and sunlight they endure.The condition is called leaf scorch. “It can happen in hot spells, which we’re certainly having this summer,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum. Leaves need to be full of water for plants to cool themselves in hot weather and avoid drying out in the sun.AdvertisementPlants can easily be scorched if the conditions have changed so they are getting much more sunlight than they can handle. For example, if you have a tree trimmed, the new gaps may suddenly admit too much sun for shade-tolerant species such as hostas.Young trees, which don’t have enough of a root system to store much water, are easily scorched. A tree that lacks sufficient water will first show scorched leaves on the top and the sunny side.AdvertisementSolomon’s seal and hostas, both shade-tolerant plants, are scorched by unaccustomed sun after tree branches overhead were trimmed. Any plant can be scorched if it does not have a sufficient water supply in the soil to resist drying out. (Beth Botts/Morton Arboretum)“The only preventive for leaf scorch is to make sure plants consistently have enough water,” Yiesla said. That means watering deeply, until water soaks several inches into the soil.The best way to check if the soil is well moistened is to dig a small hole and touch the soil 2 to 3 inches down to see if it feels moist. The soil should feel just moist, not sopping wet. “Soil that is too wet can cause rot and actually prevent the plant from absorbing water,” Yiesla said.Check the soil often to make sure the plants have a steady supply of moisture for their roots. “You see the damage in the leaves, but it’s the roots that need to absorb the water,” she said. A layer of mulch will prevent moisture from evaporating and keep the soil around the roots moist longer.Generally, leaf scorch will affect the leaves on the top and outer edges of the plant. To improve the plant’s appearance, you can remove those leaves down at the base of the plant or at a main stem. “Just make sure you have watered deeply first, so that the newer green leaves you expose to sunlight have enough water to resist getting scorched themselves,” Yiesla said. Don’t fertilize an affected plant; that would stimulate new green growth that would be extra vulnerable to scorching.Leaf scorch is not the only possible reason for browned leaves. It can also be due to bacterial or fungal infections. Herbicides and fungicide sprays drifting onto plants can cause leaves to brown. Too much fertilizer can dry out plants, since chemical fertilizers are basically salts.Lawn grass that is not regularly watered usually gets a brown cast in July and August as individual leaves turn brown. “That’s a sign of dormancy, which is part of the grasses’ natural life cycle,” she said. “They only stay green if we prevent the natural dormancy by watering.” The grass will green up when cooler, wetter weather returns in fall.If you’re worried about browning leaves, experts and resources such as the Plant Clinic can help you identify the cause. But first, water. “Whatever the problem is, a sufficient supply of water in the soil will help plants resist stress,” Yiesla said.When a large area of plants is scorched, such as that bed of shade-loving plants exposed to sun by tree trimming, you may need to plan on a lot of transplanting this fall.Advertisement“Every kind of plant has its own sun tolerance,” she said. “If you chose plants that could tolerate the shade of a tree and the shade is gone, they will need a new patch of shade.”For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.

“My Annabelle hydrangeas have some leaves that appear to be rolled up. I am seeing more this year than in past years. Is this something that needs to be treated?”— Simon Becker, RiverwoodsAdvertisementYour hydrangeas, like those in other gardens around the North Shore, have hydrangea leaftier (Olethreutes ferriferana) present. The damage caused by this insect appears as up to four leaves tied together with silk at the end of a branch or top of the plant. My hydrangeas at home have some cupped single leaves at the top of the plants too. A bad infestation can consist of 10 to 20 of these groups of cupped leaves. You will find a slender greenish caterpillar with a blackish head up to a ½-inch long if you pull the leaves apart.AdvertisementHydrangea leaftier damage shows up as up to three to four leaves tied together with silk at the end of a branch or top of the plant. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)Hydrangea leaftier emerges in the spring as a small brown-and-white patterned moth that you probably will not notice in the garden. Its eggs are laid at the branch tips of different hydrangea species but are commonly seen on Annabelle hydrangeas. The hatching caterpillars web the leaves together and feed on the enclosed flower bud and surrounding leaves, which you are observing in your garden now. The larvae drop to the ground later in summer to pupate and emerge as adult moths the following spring.The damage is generally minor, but a large number of cupped leaves is obvious and can be an aesthetic issue for some gardeners. A big infestation can also reduce flowering. Generally, this is not a pest that needs to be controlled. You can carefully open the leaf pouches when you see them and smash the caterpillar inside or remove and destroy the infested leaf masses. They are difficult to control by spraying, since they are protected by the leaves. You can use a single application of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (DiPel is one trade name product) or a labeled pyrethroid, providing you can force the spray into the cupped leaves; otherwise, the sprays will not be effective.For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Nora Sun, 17, does science internships like hobbies — intensely and frequently. Research, writing, computational drug design and queer literature are all interests. A glimpse at her LinkedIn page finds that during the pandemic, the Walter Payton College Prep High School student researched inflammatory bowel disease mutations at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is currently researching DNA polymerase inhibitors with the University of Texas at Dallas.AdvertisementIf that’s not enough to have you crying over your wasted youth, Sun, at the age of 14, founded Envision, an annual international research competition for female, genderqueer and nonbinary high school students interested in science, technology, engineering and math fields. The competition invites students to write a formal research proposal to win monetary awards. The competition allows students practice in formal scientific proposal writing, collaboration and literature review (looking through published scientific literature to gain insights which may support proposals).“In middle school and early high school, I participated in a lot of science research competitions. I tried to do some research on my own. And I wasn’t always successful, but I realized that I really loved it,” Sun said. “At the beginning of high school, I became aware that there were a lot of gender disparities in academia. Something else I learned: research is very important for a scientific career. You need publications, research experience to get opportunities which help build your academic career. And there is a dearth of these opportunities for girls. I felt if I created this competition, it would encourage more girls to start practicing writing proposals and hopefully that can lead more to be interested in research or at least get practice in writing a research proposal.”AdvertisementSince founding Envision in 2019 and serving as executive director, 328 female or genderqueer students have entered the competition, awarded $1,600 to youth, and recruited hundreds of judges — 65% of whom are postdoctoral scholars or faculty from Ivy League institutions that select winners and provide detailed feedback and constructive criticism on all entries. The review of their work by STEM professionals opens up dialogue for mentorship/internship opportunities and further conversation.Sun’s STEM and research passions have grown from Envision to the creation of other nonprofits centered on underrepresented high school students and increasing cognitive diversity in science fields. The Talaria Summer Institute she founded is a free, international mentorship program and ATHENA by Women In STEM is an endeavor she cofounded — both aid in youth pursuing STEM. Talaria Summer Institute pairs ATHENA members with a mentor to conduct a monthlong independent research project every July. As for Envision, Sun said she took a lot of inspiration from grant application processes for scientists. It’s through proposal writing that scientists apply for grants and get money to conduct research.“That’s the skill set I wanted participants to learn,” Sun said. “I thought it would be best for the judges, since our judges are professors who write lots of grants. In terms of what the competition entails, I really wanted to help kids understand the factors that made a good proposal. I hope the competition emphasizes the need to identify a gap that affects a lot of people or affects some people very deeply.”Sun said she hopes competitors’ curiosity is sparked enough to pursue their project in a lab setting — possibly taking their idea to one of the professors who served as judge, since their contact information is shared. If they can’t find a connection through that channel or find someone locally who does similar research, Talaria attempts to provide that connection.Athena Scarlett Krikorian, 17, a Los Angeles resident, is looking forward to a career in dermatology to focus on skin cancer research. She competed in the Envision proposal competition in 2021 with a pitch that combined her passion over climate change issues impacting skin globally. Through Talaria, Scarlett Krikorian was partnered with a professor from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts to do further research over the summer. Sara Yousaf, an 11th grader in Toronto, won the 2021 Envision competition with a proposal on developing a 3D tissue model of the blood brain barrier for drug testing and disease modeling.Jasmine Lunia, a Dallas native, competed in Envision’s research proposal competition for the last three years. The soon to be Wellesley College freshman said she wanted to use her free time during the pandemic to get more involved in science. She’s written proposals on epidemiology, forensic anthropology and a new assessment to diagnose autism spectrum disorders. She’s looking into a career in scientific research.“I really wish there were more opportunities like this, not just for women, but really, for anyone who wants to get into scientific research,” Lunia said.Notre Dame High School, San Jose students Sumayyah Ismail and Anchal Bhardwaj competed as a team for the Envision contest in 2020. The pair has since won other science competitions after developing their Envision idea past the contest. Envision was the launching pad for the project that they submitted to a California science fair.Advertisement“Envision is unique because it targets a certain audience and it makes sure that you get actual, substantial feedback on your work — those two things we were unable to find anywhere else which is why we decided to participate,” Bhardwaj said. Their proposal focused using convolutional networks to classify schizophrenia, connecting Bhardwaj’s computer science interest with Ismail’s neuroscience interest. “It was basically trying to figure out, previous methods that were being used in the industry? New methods that are being researched? And how can we connect technology to this?” Bhardwaj said.Ismail said one of their goals is to get their proposal and project published in a peer reviewed journal. They are looking forward to the next Envision science proposal competition with another idea.“One of the things that really fascinated me about all the entries is that they had no limitations for innovation — no financial or experimental boundaries,” said Ananthanarayanan Kumar, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University studying RNA structures in humans. He has served as an Envision judge for two years. “All the projects are very innovative. In the process, students learn a lot of skills that they don’t realize they’re learning, such as how to bring an idea from scratch to execution and how to be persuasive with objective reasoning — that really helps them in the long term.”One standout proposal entry for Kumar: Use of anaerobic digesters to biodegrade food waste in homes. A student designed a bioreactor that can be connected to a waste tube in the kitchen and thought about the engineering aspects of where to place the compressor. Judging criteria includes the significance of the project, feasibility and the approach students take. “At this stage students have nothing stopping them … as long as the idea is concrete, I’m very excited to encourage them,” he said.Chitvan Mittal, a research associate at Cornell University, has been a judge for two years. The proposals that catch her eye focus on challenges participants are trying to address, relevant topics in today’s society.“These high school students are fearless,” she said. “They all seem to tackle the bottlenecks and the challenges that no one else tends to think about. I love that.”AdvertisementKumar thinks the program can introduce students to potential STEM role models. Mittal agreed. As a woman of color, Mittal tries to encourage as many youths as she can when it comes to STEM. “They need to be able to see what’s possible out there,” she said. “The more we talk to them so they can see the opportunities, see it as this is something that I can explore, that’s all that matters.”Yale postdoc Avisek Banerjee looks forward to talking with Envision participants. Be it offering help about future plans in STEM or steps one should consider in college, he’s there for it.“How to write scientifically has never been taught directly and it’s one of the key sources of success in academia,” Banerjee said. “The uniqueness of Envision is that just with participation, the student gets a lot of experience … with their idea of how to write science. In the long term, it will be very beneficial.”When approached by Sun to serve as a judge, Mittal, who focuses on cancer genetics, immediately said yes.“I’ve been trying to mentor as many young scientists in the making as possible,” she said. “I plan to do this as many times as I can … to help as many kids as possible. I’m so glad that Nora and her team has been doing this consistently.”Sun is on a trajectory to pursue a Ph.D. in cellular biology or biochemistry. The West Loop resident said she wants to study drug design to try to improve computational methods to shorten the research and development process and drastically cut the cost of medications.AdvertisementNora Sun, center, with classmates at Walter Payton College Prep on June 13, 2022, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)“I hope that after doing this competition and reading judges’ feedback, they understand the research ideation proposal process a bit better, or they’re more interested in learning more about it,” Sun said.Abigail Wilberding, an AP seminar teacher at Payton College Prep, considers Sun one of the most passionate students she has ever taught; a total powerhouse with relentless dedication and curiosity. A born researcher and storyteller, Wilberding says Sun writes scientific studies like they are homework assignments.“She is one of those remarkable human beings who’s passionate about what she does, and has an interest and follows it to such a degree that she is transforming spaces, transforming the world, transforming her school and it’s every day for her,” Wilberding said. “She marries storytelling and science. So it’s no shock that this project has been so successful. She has this intensity and this relentless faith in the projects that she creates and the projects that she leads to bring her voice and her sense of self into the world and into the world of science in really meaningful ways.”In an AP seminar paper, Sun wrote science blends with imagination in her head and her ideas live harmoniously among her stories. The last line of the paper for Wilberding’s class: “Santa Claus was born from imagination, and if you can make an argument for your imagination … well, that’s called science.”The Envision research proposal competition will close the application process late fall/early winter, with winners announced in the spring of 2023.drockett@chicagotribune.com

Dinah Clottey learned how to crochet at the age of 12 to teach her mom the craft. While teaching did occur, Clottey’s mother did not pursue crocheting. Her daughter, however, a 2022 University of Chicago graduate and U. of C. Diversity Leadership Award winner, has centered her entrepreneurial dreams around crochet with her fashion brand, T’Kor Couture, the name being an abbreviation of her middle name.Amid the lockdowns of the pandemic, the studying and the 2020 protests around the racial reckoning, Clottey came back to what she knew, grabbed her tools and upped her game.Advertisement“I just had so much on my mind, so much penned up inside of me, it really started as a project for me to release a lot of the feelings I was having in a creative way,” said the London-born Clottey. “I would make something that just inspired me from whatever was going on at the time.”People took notice and what Clottey refers to as a “cute little thing” has taken off in a year’s time. T’Kor has almost 11,000 Instagram followers, and Clottey is focused on custom work for Chicago singer-songwriter Jamila Woods. T’Kor Couture was also selected to participate in the 2021 Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Accelerator Program, a competitive 10-week summer program designed to help early-stage ventures develop key elements of their business, with coaching and a $6,500 grant. And her accomplishments don’t just stem from her entrepreneurial skills. At 21, Clottey’s resume also includes serving as an organizer and communications fellow for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in Iowa and being one of the several college students from around the country selected to pose a question to former first lady Michelle Obama for a 2021 televised special.AdvertisementMya Dudley adjusts her hair while wearing a sweater made by Dinah Clottey. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)Dinah Clottey displays her growing collection of crochet hooks. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)“One thing that I noticed about myself is how many different dreams and aspirations I have — a lot more in the creative realm,” said Clottey, an alumna of Dwight D. Eisenhower High School in Blue Island. “I grew up not having a lot of barriers in my mind as to what I could accomplish.”Looking back, Clottey recalls a conversation with a fellow high school student whose dream was to go into the film industry. She said he never entertained following up on his passion, instead opting for something more practical. In her mind, she just couldn’t understand why he didn’t go for it. The young man would eventually share his reasons for forgoing his dream: taking care of family and no means to go to film school or invest in film equipment.“I didn’t realize how much of an effect that conversation would have on me until I came to the University of Chicago and I sat during the pandemic,” she said. Law school was out, sociology was in. Now, she’s looking forward to working as a program manager at the University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies in the fall, helping a new leadership development initiative develop a curriculum.“The one thing I’ve remained the most consistent in is my need to want to propel and amplify underrepresented voices and creators,” she said. “I’m still juggling exactly how I want to do that.”As an undergraduate, Clottey juggled her advocacy needs as a board member and president of the Organization of Black Students. Under her leadership, she developed and launched the annual Black Convocation, an event designed to celebrate the accomplishments of Black students at the U. of C. Clottey also served as outreach manager for the award-winning podcast “Kinda Sorta Brown” — that discusses policies affecting Black and brown communities.“I’m very much inspired by Black culture,” Clottey said. “That’s really the model that I have for this business. I took a look at the fashion industry and a lot of those household names, and essentially saw how white it was and thought it’s just very important for Black people and underrepresented people to put their names on things, to let them know where it comes from. So for me, this (T’Kor Couture) also became a project of embracing my own heritage and embracing who I come from and who I am and that I’m Black and that I’m proud about it.“I did a whole line based off Ntozake Shange’s work ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.’ To me, the agency I have to express myself and to interact with works that have inspired me and inspired the way I think, has been so amazing.”Dinah Clottey takes a picture of Dayo Adeoye wearing one of her handmade sweaters. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)T’Kor Couture’s rich colors in oversize and form-fitting silhouettes invoke thoughts of comfort, playfulness and pride. Clottey’s Enuf Collection is about Black women being seen for their strength, and Clottey’s Crowned Collection features a crown on items. She drew inspiration from Jean-Michele Basquiat. Music, literature, art, politics, Clottey’s fashion is inspired by so much in Black culture.Advertisement“I appreciate fashion in all of its forms, how people show up from the clothes they wear to the hairstyles, to what accessories they’re rocking or what tattoos they have. I love paying attention to it all. But at the end of the day what I want to do is uplift Black people.”When thinking back to the conversation Clottey had with the student at her high school, she said that doesn’t always have to be the experience for people of color. They can go for it. How? With a support system, hard work, and remembering the why to what you’re doing.“One of my favorite quotes: ‘It’s very hard to fail if you don’t quit,’” Clottey said. “That’s why I love ‘For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.’ It’s natural as a Black person, to feel like we’re not good enough to do the thing that we want to do. It’s a mindset change that’s going to take practice and support. It’s going to take surrounding yourself with people who believe in you, and who want nothing but the best for you, to help you change that mindset.”drockett@chicagotribune.com

An alternative high school in Humboldt Park that has served as a “sanctuary” for hundreds of vulnerable Black and brown youth is losing nearly half of its small teaching staff because of budget cuts — a move that employees and alumni say limits the services they can provide and their ability to recruit more students attempting to reform their lives.“We are the answer to this gun violence. We are the answer to these unemployment numbers. We are the answer to helping those students because every student deserves to be seen. Every student deserves to be loved, and that’s what we do at Association House,” science teacher Andrea Czarkowski Ng told the Chicago Board of Education at its meeting last month.AdvertisementScience teacher Andrea Czarkowski Ng stands with other staff members outside Association House High School on June 29, 2022, in Humboldt Park. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)Czarkowski Ng and two of seven Association House of Chicago teachers are said to have received pink slips in June. And while Czarkowski Ng worries about her future, she is more concerned about the fate of the students at the Youth Connection Charter school, which is said to offer a “new path” to graduation for 16- to 21-year-olds who have been “left behind” by traditional public schools. The school is also expected to lose one full-time and one part-time child care program aide.Several teachers and some alumni attended last month’s Board of Education meeting to decry the cuts hours before the board approved the district’s $9.4 billion budget for the coming school year. The finger-pointing started almost immediately.AdvertisementChicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said he was learning of the cuts for the first time at the board meeting. There was discussion among board members about how CPS provides money to charter operators, such as YCCS. These schools have autonomy over budgetary decisions, including staffing levels, CPS general counsel Joseph Moriarty said. An audit of each charter school’s finances is required to be conducted annually.YCCS Executive Director Sheila Venson said in a statement that, “Association House, as well as all YCCS vendors, are funded based on the student-based funding formula of CPS. How funds are budgeted and used to support the program is determined, in this case, by Association House.” Association House principal David Pieper said the school’s budget is down about $500,000 compared with the last school year, as enrollment declined 27%.Pieper lamented that the budget cut will “significantly impact” the school because its staff is already small and it thrives on student-staff relationships. Pieper pointed out that students of color from disadvantaged neighborhoods and those facing difficult life circumstances were disproportionately affected when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and remote learning was implemented.“Although we opened the door for in-person learning … it’s been an ongoing struggle to get them back,” Pieper said. “And though I’m starting to see success in getting the students back to school, it’s too late now since we’ve already been funded for next year.”The school often recruits students through word-of-mouth or social service agencies, Pieper said. Most of its students are in temporary living situations and require extra support, such as transportation and child care, he said. Pieper promises the school will offer “intensive support for students who have not been successful in traditional schools because of their life’s circumstances,” with the funding available.Association House employees say one of the perks of the program — free child care for kids as old as 5 — has taken a hit as well. Staff members say they can care for half as many kids as they used to because of cuts. Teachers worry about how this instability will affect their students.“Our kids are the kids that needed a second chance, that needed another opportunity and needed someone to tell them, ‘We believe in you. We care about you, and we’re going to sit with you until you get this done — however long that takes,’” mentor Jemina Lyle told the Tribune.“It takes a special type of educator to push us to succeed,” said Demiyon Eastling, an Association House alumnus turned after-school teacher. The school became his home after he attended eight elementary schools and two high schools. The Association House staff welcomes formerly incarcerated individuals, young parents, immigrant children who struggle with the language, and students with addiction or mental health issues, Eastling said.AdvertisementBoard President Miguel del Valle — who was once the executive director of Association House — said it was heartwarming to hear at the board meeting from graduates who achieved success once they received the necessary support. He noted enrollment in the program — and across CPS — has declined. Association House High School can’t be allowed to “fade away,” he said.“I think all of us — the teachers, the administration at Association House, the community, all of us have to ask ourselves, why aren’t there more students in that program? The need is there,” del Valle said.Ninety-eight students were enrolled at Association House High School in the fall of 2021, according to CPS data captured on the 20th day of school. About two-thirds of the students are Hispanic, while more than a quarter are Black. There were 155 students enrolled just two years ago, district data shows.The drop at Association House mirrors drops across the city’s schools, including at many of Youth Connection’s schools. Of 20 schools in operation as of the 2013-14 school year — the most recent comparable data available — enrollment dropped from above 4,000 to just over 3,100.Association House employees say they are needed more than ever.“These students have built these walls and protection from trauma and all the crap that they endure in their lives. We, like, slowly peel the onion back, and slowly let them open up,” Czarkowski Ng told the Tribune. “I see us as like this fertilizer to let these flowers bloom. They’re great kids, that just no one’s taken the time.”AdvertisementNancy Velazquez said her 20-year-old son, Benjamin, struggled with attendance at a district-run CPS high school. She turned to Association House for help.“They gave him an opportunity. He graduated this year, in 2022. It took many years for him to graduate, but he finally did it,” she said.The Chicago Teachers Union said Youth Connection should use any of its unspent federal COVID-19 funds to stop the Association House cuts. The union is also calling on the district to dip into its remaining $800 million in pandemic money, which must be allocated by the fall of 2024, to prevent job losses.In CPS district-run schools, 256 teachers have received layoff notices and 189 paraprofessional staff have been let go, according to CTU. Charter school data was not immediately known.The district said it has already appropriated $730 million in pandemic money for the next school year to focus on academic recovery and social and emotional learning supports. Nevertheless, budget cuts have claimed the longtime librarians at Coonley Elementary School in North Center and Nixon Elementary School in Hermosa, among others.“I can confidently say that the reason my administration waited until the very last moment of the school year to tell me this was the backlash that they knew they would receive from devastated staff, students and family. My students love me, and I love them,” outgoing Nixon librarian Leslie Westerberg said at last month’s board meeting.AdvertisementAt the meeting, parent Cheryl Conner highlighted the impact of budget cuts at Sabin Dual Language Magnet School in Wicker Park.“Eighty percent of families at Sabin are below the poverty line, and our school is 98% Black and Latinx students. This is a student population that has been really hurt in the pandemic,” Conner said. “Due to budget cuts, kids at Sabin are going from five specials to only three specials in the upcoming year. We’re losing technology and library classes.”In an emailed statement Friday, CPS said it is pumping an additional $240 million into its school budgets districtwide compared with this past school year. Per-pupil funding has also increased by 8%, CPS said.

The huge, pink mophead blooms of bigleaf hydrangea are one of the joys of summer for Chicago gardeners. What a disappointment when those blooms fail to fluff!“Bigleaf hydrangeas just aren’t entirely reliable in our climate, because sometimes the flower buds don’t make it through the winter,” said Julie Janoski, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.AdvertisementBuds of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) are formed in late summer and must survive all winter to bloom the following summer. “They aren’t especially well protected, so even a single day of severe cold is enough to kill them,” Janoski said. Dead buds will appear blackened, and they will never open. The hydrangea may produce abundant green leaves in spring but no blooms.Bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) will bloom most abundantly after a mild winter, and may not bloom at all after a harsh one. (Beth Botts/Morton Arboretum)Gardeners can be confused because some other familiar species of hydrangea do bloom reliably: smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), including the popular Annabelle cultivated variety, and panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata), including the Tardiva variety. “These hardy hydrangeas don’t form their flower buds until spring, so the buds are never at risk from winter cold,” Janoski said.AdvertisementIn gardening parlance, shrubs that set their flower buds on stems formed in the previous year and overwinter them are said to “bloom on old wood.” Those that grow their flower buds on new twigs in the spring or summer of the same year they bloom are said to “bloom on new wood.” Roses are a classic example.[ Garden guide: Everything you need to know about growing hydrangeas ]A number of hydrangea species are iffy because they bloom on old wood, such as oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) and mountain hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata).In some climates with more equable winters, such as the Atlantic states where weather is moderated by the nearby ocean, these plants’ buds are less likely to be killed. The volatile and often harsh Chicago climate is more risky for them. After a mild winter they may bloom abundantly, but after a cold winter — or even a mostly mild winter with a bud-killing cold spell — they may not bloom at all.To add to the confusion, some newer varieties of bigleaf hydrangea, such as the Endless Summer and Let’s Dance series, and mountain hydrangea, such as the Tuff Stuff series, have been bred and selected to bloom to varying degrees on both old and new wood.“Even if the buds on old wood are damaged over the winter, these varieties can grow some new wood in spring that will set flower buds,” Janoski said. “You may not get as many blooms as you would after a mild winter, but you’ll likely get some.”There’s another common reason that hydrangeas fail to bloom: “Sometimes the flower buds get cut off when the gardener is pruning in winter,” she said.If you prune a plant in winter that blooms on old wood, such as bigleaf hydrangea, forsythia, lilac, mock-orange, or ninebark, you’ll be removing the flower buds along with branches. “To be safe, wait to prune a spring- or summer-flowering shrub until after it has bloomed,” Janoski said.Plants that bloom on new wood, such as smooth hydrangea and panicle hydrangea, can be pruned in winter with impunity.AdvertisementHow can you know what to do? “Identify your plants,” she said. It’s not enough just to know you have a hydrangea, because different species of hydrangea grow differently and need different care. “You need to find out exactly which species of hydrangea you have.”The Plant Clinic can help you identify your plants and find out how to care for them so you get the most beauty and satisfaction from your garden.For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.

“The leaves of my arrowwood viburnums look like they have been shredded, and the small pieces of leaves that remain have turned completely brown. This has not happened in previous years. I had always thought that this viburnum was trouble-free and easy to grow. What is this problem and what should I do?”— Gail Westerman, HighwoodAdvertisementYour description sounds like your viburnums have been attacked by the viburnum leaf beetle, a relatively new insect pest for the Chicago region. I have been seeing lots of arrow wood viburnums in home gardens, with lots of damage this year, including my own plants, since the arrowwood viburnum is a favorite of this insect. The Chicago Botanic Garden monitors its viburnum collection for this pest each year now and treats it as needed. AdvertisementYou will need to control the insect on your viburnums, as well as provide supplemental water during dry periods this summer if you want to save them. The plants should leaf back out this year if they were healthy before being damaged.Damage from viburnum leaf beetles, a relatively new insect pest for the Chicago region. (Tim Tiddens/Chicago Botanic Garden)The viburnum leaf beetle is a heavy feeder that can completely defoliate viburnums. It happened very quickly on the viburnums in my garden. Both larvae and adults feed on the leaves and remove leaf tissue between the midrib and larger veins. The leaves will then have a skeletonized appearance, which will look like they have been shredded. Plants may die after two or three years of damage from very heavy infestations. This insect’s feeding is limited to viburnum species, so you do not have to treat other plants in your garden. Monitor any other viburnums that you are growing, though, for this insect.The viburnum leaf beetle prefers viburnums with smooth leaves (little hair or pubescence). Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) and American cranberrybush viburnum (Viburnum trilobum) are commonly planted viburnums that are preferred hosts and will likely be killed over a course of two to three years if no control treatments are made. Other widely planted viburnums such as burkwood viburnum (Viburnum burkwoodii), blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium) and fragrant snowball viburnum (Viburnum carlcephalum) have varying degrees of susceptibility to damage but generally are not destroyed. Koreanspice viburnum (Viburnum carlessii), Judd viburnum (Viburnum juddii) and doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum) tend to be resistant to feeding. There generally will be more damage on any viburnums that are grown in the shade.Viburnum leaf beetles overwinter as eggs on twigs of the host plant. In May, larvae hatch from the overwintered eggs and begin feeding on the host plants — this is the damage you have recently noticed on your plants. The larvae are greenish-yellow and develop dark spots as they age. They are usually found feeding in groups on the leaves. The larvae drop to the ground and pupate between early and mid-June and remain in the ground for about 10 days before emerging as adults in mid- to late July, so you may not see them at this time. The adult beetle is small, ½ to ⅜ of an inch long and is a golden-brown color with sheen when in the sunlight. Adults will remain active until the first frost. Development from egg to adult takes eight to 10 weeks.AdvertisementIn late summer and fall, females will begin laying eggs. They chew holes in the bark of twigs to deposit eggs and then cover them with excrement and fragments of chewed bark. A female can lay up to 500 eggs. One effective way to control viburnum leaf beetle is to prune and destroy infested twigs after egg laying has ceased in the fall in October, up until April. But pruning alone will not be enough. You will need to spray an insecticide such as spinosad, acephate, carbaryl or malathion when larvae first appear in early May for good control. Acephate will have a degree of residual activity, as it will move into the leaves. A second application in mid- to late summer on feeding adults may be helpful if damage is excessive, but a strategy of just treating adults will not provide effective control. You should only spray your viburnums if you find this insect and follow all directions for proper and safe use of the product that you are using. Provide supplemental water to the affected viburnums during any dry periods for the rest of this year to help reduce stress on the plants.For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Within a week’s time the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and ruled that law enforcement officers can’t be sued when they violate the rights of criminal suspects by failing to provide the familiar Miranda warning before questioning them. And on Wednesday came the ruling that Oklahoma has the authority to prosecute non-Native Americans who commit crimes against a Native person on tribal lands, giving jurisdiction to the state and local law enforcement where prior it was solely federal and tribal.This week’s 5-4 decision stems from the case of Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, where Oklahoma state prosecutors charged Victor Castro-Huerta for the malnourishment and neglect of his 5-year-old disabled stepdaughter in 2015. She was a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the abuse took place on the Cherokee Reservation, but Castro-Huerta is not a Native American. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison, however he challenged the decision under 2020′s Supreme Court McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling where he can only be federally prosecuted. McGirt upheld that under the Major Crimes Act, Oklahoma cannot prosecute crimes by Native citizens on tribal lands without federal approval.AdvertisementThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 29, 2022, that states can prosecute crimes against Native American victims committed on Native American reservations if the defendant is non-Native. (Mandel Ngan/AFP-Getty)The latest development will have an impact on tribal sovereignty and not just in Oklahoma, according to members of local Native tribes.“Justice Kavanaugh’s majority opinion brazenly defies not only long-held U.S. Supreme Court precedent in regards to criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country, but also the subject-matter expertise of his own colleague, Justice Gorsuch,” said Doug Kiel, a citizen of the Oneida Nation and professor of Indian legal history at Northwestern University. “In a handful of states that are subject to Public Law 280 (1953), this kind of state criminal jurisdiction does apply, by act of U.S. Congress. Oklahoma is not a Public Law 280 state; nonetheless, Kavanaugh’s majority opinion pretends it is. The earlier McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020) decision — in which Gorsuch emphatically wrote, “We hold the government to its word” — respected tribal sovereignty and mapped out a new legal future. This decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, on the other hand, has little regard for the legal significance of Indian reservation boundaries.”AdvertisementBeth Redbird, an Oglala Lakota and Oklahoma Choctaw, and co-director of Northwestern University’s Tribal Constitution Project, which is cataloging constitutions of North American Indigenous tribes and analyzing the development of tribal sovereignty in U.S. history, said there’s a significant social cost to decisions like this. She said whereas the McGirt decision was amazing, in that the Supreme Court recognized tribal sovereignty, the Castro-Huerta decision on jurisdiction — the thing promised in treaties to Indians — is yet another attempt by the federal government to take back the final acknowledgment of that promise in “all sorts of pretzel twisting ways.”“This treatment of reservations as not really government entities where we don’t provide them the legitimacy of other governments creates other tensions,” Redbird said. “What we do with the legal system in the United States, is we say that a group of people is sovereign, and then we give them no power. We tell them they’re responsible for the problems and we give them no tools for solutions. And that has consequences up to and including people who can take advantage of that. This is a prime example of the ways in which tribal sovereignty is weaponized. Sovereignty is a double-edged sword. It can help make our lives better, but when we get it, people are afraid of sovereign Indians.”Beth Redbird, a Northwestern University assistant professor of sociology and Native studies, says there’s a significant social cost to the most recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the sovereignty of tribal lands. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta dissent: “Moving forward, the Court cheerily promises, more prosecuting authorities can only “help.” Three sets of prosecutors — federal, tribal and state — are sure to prove better than two. But again, it’s not hard to imagine reasons why the Cherokee might see things differently. If more sets of prosecutors are always better, why not allow Texas to enforce its laws in California? Few sovereigns or their citizens would see that as an improvement. Yet it seems the Court cannot grasp why the Tribe may not. The real party in interest here isn’t Mr. Castro-Huerta but the Cherokee, a Tribe of 400,000 members with its own government. Yet the Cherokee have no voice as parties in these proceedings.”Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the majority, citing states have jurisdiction over Indian lands unless it is displaced by Congress or unlawfully infringes on tribal sovereignty. He added the court’s decision would not infringe on tribal self-government.“A state prosecution of a crime committed by a non-Indian against an Indian would not deprive the tribe of any of its prosecutorial authority. That is because, with exceptions not invoked here, Indian tribes lack criminal jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed by non-Indians such as Castro-Huerta, even when non-Indians commit crimes against Indians in Indian Country.”Matthew Fletcher, foundation professor of law at Michigan State University College of Law and visiting professor for the UC-Hastings Indigenous Law Program is a citizen of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. He said a reversal of the decision could be made one of two ways — by doing what Justice Gorsuch said at the end of his dissent, which was to urge Congress to restore what the majority had taken away. The other way is more of a local, reservation by reservation, state by state way where tribes could persuade states not to exercise the jurisdiction even if they want to, in a more negotiated kind of situation. He says both are viable.“This is not a decision that is rooted in law,” Fletcher said. “This is a decision where the Court said, the majority says: ‘over the last century and a half we’ve changed our minds on Indian law, we’ve been more deferential to states than we originally were. And so we’re just going to take that one additional step and give the state this power.’ Congress is the one that makes law in Indian Country, not the Supreme Court and today the Supreme Court decided that it makes law, too.”“Historians of federal Indian law and policy have long referred to “pendulum swings,” and the shift from McGirt to Castro-Huerta is certainly a big swing,” Kiel said. “In one moment, the federal government embraces nation-to-nation relationships, and in the next, it disrespects the notion of Indigenous governance. In this case, we learn if the respect of Indigenous sovereignty comes at the price of non-Native convenience, it cannot stand.”Advertisementdrockett@chicagotribune.com

Blueberries needed a champion, and Tiffany Balk was more than up to the task.Fifteen years ago, Balk went to send a gift to a friend in Chicago from her home in Grand Haven, Michigan.AdvertisementHer husband suggested a box of dried cherries, the signature crop of the Traverse City area.But Grand Haven is some 150 miles south of Traverse City, west of Grand Rapids, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Totally different area, totally different vibe, Balk told her husband.Advertisement“Blueberries are to southwest Michigan like cherries are to northern Michigan,” she said. As soon as she heard herself, Balk realized she’d hit on a niche business.Blueberries are indeed the little, round, cute, colorful crop that defines midsummer along the gentle dunes and broad beaches of the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. Like dried cherries, cranberries and raisins, dried blueberries add a jolt of flavor in cookies, cakes and salads. Blueberries freeze beautifully, meaning the crop can yield mix-ins for breads and muffins year-round.So Balk got to it. It was a specialty business just waiting to be created.Blueberry season typically blooms around July 4 and continues through the end of August, with different varieties rolling into Michigan farm stands along Interstate Highway 196, which hugs the lake from Indiana to Grand Haven.You-pick farms offer a taste of the backbreaking work of hand-raking blueberries. Every Michigan farmer’s market spills with baskets, buckets and boxes of blueberries. Along with July marking National Blueberry Month, South Haven’s National Blueberry Festival (blueberryfestival.com), set this year for Aug. 11-14, is another great excuse to indulge with children’s pie-eating contests, a parade and a pie social.Lily Perry, 11, eats a blueberry pie during the Kids Pie Eating Contest at the 2019 National Blueberry Festival in South Haven, Michigan, on Aug. 10, 2019. (Emil Lippe/MLive.com / TNS)Blueberries love light, sandy soil, which makes the beaches and bluffs of southwestern Michigan the perfect setting for growing the 110 million pounds of berries the state produced in 2020. That makes Michigan the leading national producer of cultivated blueberries, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with Washington, Oregon and Georgia trailing behind.AdvertisementMaine leads in wild, or lowbush, berries, producing 102 million pounds in 2020.Balk, 56, is now part of the blueberry industrial complex. Her store, Blueberry Haven (213 Washington Ave., Grand Haven; 616-935-7562; blueberry-haven.com) created a nucleus for an industry that didn’t realize it needed one. From downtown Grand Haven, she stocks and sells (on-site and online) blueberry baking mixes, salsa, honey, all manner of jams and pie fixings, and, of course, a variety of chocolate-covered dried blueberries. All of what she offers is made in Michigan, most of it right in or around Grand Haven.Growing up in northern Maine, her childhood was straight out of the classic children’s book, “Blueberries for Sal,” by Robert McCloskey, in which a preschool blueberry thief and her bear equivalent are “all mixed up on Blueberry Hill” while their respective mothers are gathering berries to store up for winter.“We used to go over to Machias and rake blueberries at my cousin’s farm,” she says, referring to a coastal town in Maine. “In the summertime, if you were poor, what did you do? You’d go rake blueberries.”Blueberries from a western Michigan farm are sold at a farmers market in Diamondale, Michigan, on Sept. 22, 2011. (Michigan DNR)College brought her to central Michigan, where she met and married her husband and started a family. Working for a regional clothing store taught her the retail business.Looking for a gift that didn’t exist showed her what to sell. “There was no blueberry brand,” Balk said. As soon as her youngest child entered kindergarten, she set up her company and started making and selling blueberry-centric products at the local farmer’s market.AdvertisementFirst came a pancake mix. Then came jam, then chocolate-covered blueberries.When a storefront in downtown Grand Haven became available in 2010, she and her husband went all in and bought it. The store opened in 2011.It’s hard to avoid blueberries along the western coast of Michigan, but who would want to?South of Grand Haven, Holland is studded with blueberry options. Among the best: blueberry doughnuts at the two Bowerman Blueberry locations (You-pick and farm market, 15793 James St., Holland; Bowerman’s on 8th Cafe and Bakery, 2 E. 8th St., Holland; 616-738-3099; realblueberries.com), and S. Kamphuis (4140 148th Ave., Holland; 616-399-9545; skamphuisblueberries.com), where you also can buy frozen berries.Attendees relax near the beach at the 2019 National Blueberry Festival in South Haven, Michigan, on Aug. 10, 2019. (Emil Lippe/MLive.com / TNS)At Blueberry Haven, Balk finds no end to blueberry everything, from barbecue sauce to coffee. The bestseller? Chocolate-covered blueberries, but blueberry salsa comes in a close second.And just to make sure her Illinois customers feel appreciated, especially University of Illinois alumni and fans, Balk added a dash of orange to her brand’s deep-blue labels.AdvertisementBlueberries were a staple for Indigenous American tribes who originally occupied what’s now known as the Midwest. Found as far south as the Mexican border and as far north as eastern Canada and Alaska, the 35 species of blueberries indigenous to North America were an uncelebrated seasonal staple until a government botanist crafted cultivars that could sustain commercial farming, according to Ryan Pankau, a horticulturist with the University of Illinois Extension in Urbana.Discovery of their antioxidant properties vaulted blueberries from dessert ingredient to health food staple. It takes only a ½ cup — 30 calories’ worth — of fresh blueberries to deliver 25% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C and three grams of dietary fiber, according to the Mayo Clinic.About half of the 690 million pounds of blueberries produced in 2020 were sold fresh, and the rest were processed, according to the USDA.Find blueberry updates and events through the Grand Haven Convention and Visitors’ Bureau (visitgrandhaven.com).Grab a rake and comb through the branches for berries at you-pick farm; such farms for blueberries and all kinds of produce can be scoutedat pickyourown.org.Or pick up your berries at a Michigan farmers market (michigan.org/farmers-markets), locating one convenient for your travels.AdvertisementJoanne Cleaver is a freelance writer.

Dear Amy: Recently, my fiancé and I went out with his friend (of 30 years) “George,” and George’s new girlfriend, “Janet.”George went to the restroom. Janet took his seat so we could talk (the venue was loud).AdvertisementAfter some chit chat, Janet reached over and stroked my fiancé’s face (from his jaw to his temple) without uttering a word.I was completely shocked.AdvertisementMy fiancé left the table almost immediately to use to restroom himself. Upon his return, he switched his seat to be on the other side of me (not near Janet).He later told me that he left the table to avoid her, AND that she had also been rubbing up against his leg.I was beyond furious.My fiancé begged me not to confront her, so we abruptly left.Initially, I was furious with my fiancé for not saying something to her immediately. He said he was so stunned that he just wanted to leave.The next morning, he told George what Janet did, and said how uncomfortable it made both of us.George was unfazed, and blamed it on Janet’s drinking that evening. He has since invited us to other events (with Janet). We have declined and reiterated the reason.A friend is hosting a Fourth of July party and my fiancé wants to go.AdvertisementGeorge and Janet will definitely be there.Do we go? If so, I am most certain I will address this – in person!What is your take on this? Do you agree that we should keep our distance from Janet?– Protective FiancéeDear Protective: Your fiancé’s response to this unwanted and uninvited touching is extremely common.People who have never experienced this sometimes criticize the victim for not speaking up in the moment. But the nearly universal response to this sort of violation is to first freeze – and then to create distance (a smart protective move).AdvertisementMy take on Janet’s behavior is that she is a boundary-crosser who believes she can get away with it – in part because she is a woman.Whether consciously or not, she is counting on a double-standard regarding how people tend to respond when men’s physical boundaries are violated.If your fiancé wants to attend this Fourth of July party, then he should! His choice not to let what happened control him is a good one.Does he want you to confront Janet? If so, then go for it, and enjoy the fireworks.Your fiancé might declare his own independence on Independence Day by addressing this violation, himself. If so, he should be prepared for the typical response from perpetrators: Denial, deflection, diminishing the behavior, and possibly even blaming him for somehow inviting it – which, as everyone knows, he did not do.Dear Amy: I am one of three daughters-in-law. Ever since the other daughters-in-law came into the family there have been many problems. They all live in our in-laws’ house. (I don’t.)AdvertisementOne particular daughter-in-law constantly fights with her husband and disrespects his parents.She is now living with her own parents since her last fight, six months ago.I tried to help, but by pointing out all that she was doing wrong, I think that I have actually made matters worse.Her behavior toward family members seems to have improved, although she has not apologized to them. Now she’s being negative toward me. I am disappointed that she did not receive my advice in a positive way.Should I continue to try to reach out?– CAdvertisementDear C: Nobody likes to have their faults and failings pointed out to them, especially when it is framed as you “pointing out all that she was doing wrong.”It seems that the distance has helped to stabilize the situation, which is a good thing.Intervention is laudable and necessary if you are trying to protect someone.Otherwise – unless you are asked to weigh in or help, you should probably stand down.Yes, I do think you should stay in contact with this in-law. Don’t rehash everything, but do stay in touch – unless she asks you not to.Ask AmyDailyNo-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.Dear Amy: I could not believe your terrible response to “Upset Husband,” who was lucky enough to have in-laws who wanted to give their daughter money for a house!AdvertisementHe should be grateful, rather than insulted!– UnhappyDear Unhappy: Many readers advised that this man should essentially take the money and run, but these parents seemed eager to control the couple through their largesse, and I shared the husband’s concern.Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and we’ll send it to her.Sign up here to receive the Ask Amy newsletter to get advice e-mailed to your inbox every morning, and for a limited time — get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.©2021 Amy Dickinson.