Should I be concerned?I have a cherry tree that I planted last year in front of my house. Its about 4 foot high.
Presumably these “hard red lumps” aren’t delicious cherries… just kidding… 🙂 Seriously, I am very familiar with aphid infestations on several species of poplars or cottonwood trees–unless you live very far north or above a certain elevation. Poplar trees are the ones where the stems are flattened a little, making them twitter in the wind. I don’t know the precise life cycle. I believe there is a phase in certain weeds (marigolds?) followed by a phase in the cottonwood’s bark. Then, a stem mother climbs out to the stem of a leaf and it bites the stem, causing a gall to form around her. Nymphs are born–tiny little winged baby aphids. Their “excrement” is a sweet, sticky substance, sometimes called “honeydew”. Ants love this honeydew and often organize themselves to “milk” the aphids. It’s fascinating to watch in someone else’s yard. But, I agree, that if it were in my yard, I would not want the pretty leaves of my flowering tree “ruined” by these galls.
