Crown Rust Fungi

 

I was out mowing and noticed some small trees had this orange stuff on them.  Stopped the mower and looked.  They were all tiny buckthorn trees trying to get a start in the meadow and everyone of them seemed to be infested w/ something.   Instead of waiting until fall when the buckthorn stand out as the last trees w/ leaves, maybe I can find them in the spring because they have bright orange fungi.  Hadn't noticed it before though.  Found out it's Crown Rust fungi.  It affects oats but buckthorn are a part of it's propogation.  Maybe the spores weren't around until oats were planted nearby?  There isn't any fungicide available for the buckthorn 'cause the best thing to do is get rid of this invasive tree.  Unfortunately, while it can weaken the little buckthorn it isn't fatal.  The biggest plus is I went back through my lists from previous years and I can't find a mention of the fungi.  Will add it to the 2023 list of 'New-Things-I-Found-This-Year'.