Although the entire month of May saw just under an inch of rain in total, the beginning of June has brought some relief with over two inches of rain deposited thus far with more on the way (based on data from the Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring Program Freeport station – your mileage may vary!).

Stephenson County is the home of the first reported population of Asian copperleaf in Illinois (https://extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/novel-illinois-weed-species-asian-copperleaf-identified-northern-illinois). Although originally thought to be a late emerging weed typically not noticed until after harvest, seedlings have already been emerging over the last couple of weeks. When scouting prior to making post emergence herbicide applications, keep an eye out for Asian copperleaf. For help with identification, see the attached photos as well as the Asian copperleaf fact sheet from Illinois Extension at https://extension.illinois.edu/media/9233/download?inline.

If you suspect you have Asian copperleaf, please contact Kathryn Seebruck at 815-986-4357 or seebruck@illinois.edu. Reports can also be made at https://www.eddmaps.org/.