Join us on April 14th for “Aphids: Climate Sentinels” presented by Clallam County Master Gardener Muriel Nesbitt.

If you garden, chances are you’ve encountered aphids on your beloved roses or attached to the leaves of a favorite garden vegetable. Aphids are an annoyance to gardeners but their role in the food chain and farming may become more problematic due to climate change. Join Clallam County Master Gardener Muriel Nesbitt for a Green Thumb Gardening Tips Zoom presentation on Thursday April 14th from noon – 1:00 p.m. for a fascinating look at how the problem with aphids is heating up.

Muriel will discuss aphid biology and their role on the distribution of plant viruses. She will also detail the role of heat units—or growing degree days—on aphid emergence and habitat range. Muriel will also look at projections about future local changes in growing degree days and potential future effects of aphids on food security. “Gardeners may now think of local increases in growing degree days as a positive thing, and this talk may bring awareness of some of the potentially negative effects of ongoing local climate changes,” Muriel said.

Muriel began her career as a high school teacher in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She went on to become a graduate student at the University of Washington where she earned a Ph.D. in genetics. Muriel was a professor of biology at University of California, Los Angeles for two years and then taught biology at University of California, San Diego for 35 years before retiring to Port Angeles in 2008.

Find a direct link to the Zoom presentation here.

Green Thumb Education Series Presentations are held from 12 to 1 pm on the second and fourth Thursdays of most months. Talks are only being offered by online streaming. Please see instructions for accessing the live stream. Presentations and associated printed materials will be archived on the local articles and archived presentations portion of our website. These events are free, but donations to help support the WSU Clallam County Extension Master Gardener program are appreciated.