First of March

It feels like spring is already here. I saw a cabbage white butterfly last week.

In the spring and summer, I work as the Pest Board Coordinator for Skagit County. I am looking forward to this time and I hope to put my results together in a way that is more accessible to people. Some of that may involve putting more observations on iNaturalist. There are also some services offered through Washington State University that would be a great way to share data.

I would also like to publish weekly blogs or listserv emails that summarize data and trends.

Some of the things I want to monitor for in addition to my main pest species are new invasive insects and weeds. I recently took on some new duties with regards to weed management and while I've been paying attention to them, I want to redouble my efforts. Palmer amaranth is an invasive newly found in the state. While it's unlikely to appear in Skagit County I want to keep an eye out for it.

I also have picked out a couple monitoring sites for emerald ash borer. There is one stand of ash trees near the Skagit Regional Airport and another in south Burlington. I will check on these periodically. There are other ash trees in the area as well.

I don't usually post journal entries but this could be a good way for me to collect my thoughts.

Posted on March 1, 2024 07:19 PM by