What's eating my nyssa sylvatica?

Black tupelo is one of the most pest-resistant native North American trees. Leaf miners and scale insects occasionally cause cosmetic damage but rarely threaten health. Defoliating caterpillars such as fall webworm may appear in late summer. Deer may browse young saplings. Overall, established trees need little to no pest management.

Oval blotch mines on leaves from summer; affected areas dry and turn brown; heavy years can cause partial early leaf drop Collect and destroy fallen leaves in autumn; healthy, unstressed trees tolerate moderate attack without lasting damage; no chemical treatment normally needed

Silk tents enclosing branch tips from late summer; foliage consumed within tents; cosmetic damage mainly in heavy infestation years Prune out tents while small; Bt spray on young caterpillars; natural parasitoid wasps suppress populations in most years

Encrusted bark on twigs; honeydew and sooty mould; minor dieback on very heavily infested young shoots Horticultural oil spray at dormancy; ladybird and parasitic wasp predation usually limits scale populations on unstressed trees