Landscape Message: Aug 11, 2017

The Landscape Message will be updated bi-weekly July through September. Due to vacation schedules, the next message will be posted on Monday, August 28. To receive immediate notification when the next Landscape Message update is posted, be sure to join our e-mail list.

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Drought Status: Approximately 98% of Massachusetts is not under official drought status at this time. The 2% classified as 'Abnormally Dry' includes the entire island of Nantucket. For more information see http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?MA

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U.S. Drought Monitor - Northeast

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A note about Tick Awareness: deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis), the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) are all found throughout Massachusetts. Each can carry their own complement of diseases. Anyone working in tick habitats (wood-line areas, forested areas, and landscaped areas with ground cover) should check themselves regularly for ticks while practicing preventative measures. Have a tick and need it tested? Visit the web page of the UMass Laboratory of Medical Zoology (https://www.tickreport.com/) and click on the red Test a Tick button for more information.

• For information about protecting yourself from ticks and tick-borne diseases, please visit: https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/information-regarding-ticks-tick-borne-diseases.
• For information about managing ticks in landscapes, among other topics, please visit the following publication from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station: “Tick Management Handbook”: http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/bulletins/b1010.pdf.

Report by Tawny Simisky, Extension Entomologist, UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery, & Urban Forestry Program