Have you ever wondered why part of Anderson Courtyard is blackened, and the rest is not? I wondered, for a long time. So, I called an arborist, who arrived in his restored US Forest Service truck and gave me an answer. That black, sticky stuff is found only under the camphor tree, (yes, that iconic UUSM landmark, which figures into our publicity). However, it is not found elsewhere on the patio. Why? Because that sticky stuff is really aphid droppings, and our camphor tree has been infested with aphids for some time.
The expert told us:
The tree has an infestation of California laurel aphid. This insect is the source of the sticky black coating on the courtyard tiles below. The insect sucks sap out of the tree’s leaves, poops out the sap as a clear sugary water, and then the poop drips onto the courtyard below and becomes black with mold.
Once aphids colonize a tree as has happened in our case, one must spray the tree. He used a foliar spray of horticultural oil for an initial knockdown of the insect in the canopy, and then suggested we back that up by dispersing some aphid parasite.
All this happened early this year. The arborist suggested we wait until summer, which would be a safe time to remove the sticky aphid feces from the tiles in front of our church, which would be the next challenge. It is possible to clean the tiles on your hands and knees with soap and water and a bucket and brush. But trust me, that is a slow and arduous task. Enter Jerry Moore, and his fabulous little Westinghouse. No bigger than a breadbox, but more powerful than a locomotive, this little pressure washer can work wonders.
Notice the difference. Plus, it can spell and knows our name! So, let’s thank Jerry Moore for bringing this nifty little machine to UUSM and so we can get our wonderful terra cotta tiles clean. Additionally, Jerry himself ran the machine for several hours on Tuesday, taking care of most of them, and then Karl finished the job.
And one more thing: The plants in the chancel atrium were taken care of this past month and the space was neatened up. Now the atrium looks better than ever!
