Redbud Community

The redbud sapling that John Hart gave me about 25 years ago is now a good-sized tree. It is responsible for quite a number of species I've seen near it. It actually hangs slightly over the pond. Under it are a few New England Asters, and some other plants. Two years ago when I saw the first one (I was so excited), I watched it like a hawk. Finally I found a few more, and last year (2015) there were a plethora of them in the spring. These treehoppers communicate (including finding a mate) by vibrations through the stems. Although they feed on redbud sap, they don't seem to hurt the tree much. In case you are wondering why the ants are hanging around, here is an explanation.



Here's the colony in 2015.



On the asters beneath the redbud, I found this long-horned beetle whose larvae are said to "feed on dead bits of redbud, while the adults frequent flowers." (from Bugguide.net) And on the ground cover, here is a redbud bruchid, a kind of legume weevil that feeds on seeds inside pods. (This is the first I knew that a redbud is a legume.) These little guys will be found on goldenrod later. Here is a kind of gall underneath a redbud leaf.



A few other insects that I first saw on or under the redbud but don't know of any firm connection: This differently shaped treehopper, a Telamona, is not a redbud specialist, so is probably just visiting; This spittlebug is very much like the alder spittlebug; This tiny moth is Palthis angulalis, the Dark-spotted Palthis. It feeds on woody shrubs(maybe redbud?), asters and goldenrod. So it may actually overlap several communities.





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