Knowledgebase
Rose disease and holly bark #868927
Asked May 17, 2024, 3:37 PM EDT
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
The holly bark was damaged by a woodpecker called the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Images of the two types of holes pecked into bark (rounded in horizontal rows, and more squared-off patches in vertical rows) can be seen in the gallery on Maryland Biodiversity Project. These birds migrate south from their breeding range in winter and some of them spend the season in our area; they are probably gone by now, having moved back north or to our westernmost counties for nesting. Sometimes heavily-damaged plants suffer dieback, but in other cases they recover or don't exhibit any symptoms. No intervention is needed (or possible) to remedy the situation, though if branches or trunks with lacy bark succumb to dieback, they will need to be cut off / cut down. Hollies generally respond well to pruning, and as long as any areas of removed growth still receive enough sunlight, they can gradually regrow new foliage and branches to hide a bare zone. There is no reliable way to deter the birds from revisiting the plant when they overwinter here next, and sometimes trying to force them to peck elsewhere backfires in that they will choose several trees in the general area to feed on, expanding the range of damage (though in that case it's probably going to be a non-issue since the damage would be more widespread). In addition to hollies, we routinely see damage on maple, pawpaw, deodar and blue atlas cedars, viburnum, and magnolia.
Miri