Main identifiers:
- Most common species found in Colorado: The American and Siberian elms are the two most popular elm tree species in Colorado. There were far more American elm trees in the Denver area before Dutch Elm disease destroyed much of the population.
- Leaf shape and color: Elm tree leaves are oval-shaped with a jagged edge
- Bark texture: Elm trees have a dark-brown/medium-gray appearance that looks scaly with deeper grooves. Some people refer to elm trees as ‘lacebark elm’ because the bark looks like lacework.
Most common diseases and pests:
Elm trees are known to battle European Elm Scale, which as the name suggests presents a scale-like distortion of an elm tree’s bark. The Elm Leaf Beetle is the most notorious pest that loves feeding on elm trees. This little yellow-and-black bug eats elm tree leaves and implants its larvae inside the leaves.
European Elm Scale, Photo by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, bugwood.org
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