I have noticed this flower (pictured at right) when I have been biking on the American River bike trail (which is often). It usually blooms during the hottest part of the summer. They are starting to bloom now. I saw one this morning and took a photo with my iPhone. What is it?

– Bob Mosher, Sacramento

It's a datura, also known as jimson weed, devil's trumpet or loco weed. It's pretty – but very toxic. It's also a powerful hallucinogen (hence, the loco weed nickname). This plant also produces huge seed pods with big thorns (its name means "thorn apple"). Those pods can be hazardous to bicycle tires, so give datura a wide berth on the trail.

Enclosed is a sample from my red maple tree. This condition is on one fairly large branch and some little ones. The rest of the tree has normal, full green leaves. Can you tell me what it is and what I can do about it? I've had the tree 3 1/2 years and it is about 20 feet high with a solid trunk. I don't want to lose it!

– Renée Van Heuit, Citrus Heights

Unfortunately, your specimen was very dry and badly deteriorated when it reached us. According to UC Master Gardener Bill Pierce, the best guess is that you have an aphid problem, but a fresh specimen should be viewed to confirm that diagnosis.

If your tree still has this problem, bring a fresh sample – enclosed in a sealed plastic zip-top bag – to the the UC Cooperative Extension office, 4145 Branch Center Road, Sacramento. Please call ahead at (916) 875-6913 for hours when master gardeners are available.

Although relatively problem-free, red maple trees can encounter problems with powdery mildew and spider mites. When grown in heavy clay soils with poor drainage, root and crown rot can become an issue, too.

If the problem is aphids, they probably didn't get there by themselves. Ants are notorious for herding the tiny critters onto larger plants and trees, then "milking" the aphids for their honeydew. To rid the tree of aphids, you also need to control the ants.

You can blast the aphids off lower limbs with water from a hose. (The fall will kill these soft-bodied insects.) Nontoxic insecticidal soap (which shouldn't harm pets, kids or plants) smothers the bugs but doesn't prevent them from coming back.

A few aphids can multiply rapidly. One mother can produce 80 offspring in a week. Those baby aphids can reach maturity in seven days. With such exponential growth, aphids can take over a tree branch – or the whole tree.

To prevent a reinfestation, put up a roadblock against the ants. Tanglefoot and similar sticky products can be applied to a paper band or duct tape around the trunk of the tree. Ants get stuck on the band and can't bring in more aphids.

At the first sign of new aphids, blast away with water and soap.

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