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While it’s hard to see it under all the sticky debris, I’m holding my flip-flop sandal and examining it after walking under an American Linden tree. I learned a lot about linden aphids from Chamber of Commerce employee Darlene Larsen after walking on a sidewalk near the Chamber building.
Darlene Larsen, a Renton resident who cheerfully assists visitors at the Renton Chamber of Commerce, has brought a sticky situation to the city’s attention. She recently responded to a request for input on the landscaping plan for the Rainier Avenue reconstruction. Her input: please do not plant American Linden street trees.
Ms. Larsen knows what she’s talking about. She has kept a washtub handy at the Renton Chamber of Commerce this summer to help visitors clean their shoes if they walked through the sticky mess on the sidewalk on the north side of the Chamber building. Some heritage-size American Linden trees shade the sidewalk and street parking along this section of South 4th Street, and these stately, dark green trees were historically ideal street trees. Regrettably, the invasive linden aphid has recently been attacking these trees, and while the trees are hearty enough to survive the attack, the aphids produce a very sticky byproduct that gets all over sidewalks, cars, signs, hydrants, and shoes. The sticky substance is called aphid honeydew, and it clings like syrup to everything it touches.
Ms. Larsen kindly goes out of her way to help visitors clean the aphid honeydew off their shoes
When the city asked that public comments be sent to the Rainier Construction team regarding the Rainier Ave landscape plan, Ms. Larsen noticed the draft plan appeared to potentially include Linden trees. So she made an input today (September 13), that included the following recommendation:
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