I really prize my lawn and garden, lately it seems like sickness striking , first my beloved plum trees, now there is a powdery substance on the limbs of my shrubs. Can anyone give me any advice of what this is. And how to stop it. It would be greatly appreciated.
Nice cat! Lichens aren't a problem -- they are symptomatic of poor growth. Essentially, the tree isn't healthy enough to grow and expand. When it is healthy, most trees (not all) have enough growth that they are constantly sloughing off bark, preventing lichens from establishing. So, look elsewhere for the root of the problem.
** Reviving this thread, as I see that the original poster had started a different thread with the same text re: the powdery substance, but with a different image showing a powdery substance that is potentially problematic. So, keeping the original replies re: the lichen, but also notifying others that the original question isn't resolved **
Lichen (harmless) in photo #1, woolly aphids (on privet; damaging to the privet) in photo #2. Since privet is an invasive alien weed in Mississippi, the woolly aphids are actually helping out in this case.
