What Is Wrong With This Tree?

 

Nodules on Redbud tree here are not as light. I took a better picture without the flash below. This is too dear a tree to lose. It has grown a long time to be able to shield my kitchen window over the sink.

Another view of the nodules

 

The picture above is really a better representation of the growths or nodules. They are actually dark like this picture without the flash shows. Is this something that will spread?

 

Redbud trees have blossoms along the branches, so I wonder if this is what I am looking at. None of the other branches have these "growths." Any ideas? One site said floral buds are dark brown in winter but will bloom into color in the spring. If this is so, why are there no other floral buds except on one branch? I am perplexed. Go out and look at your Redbud tree and see if you see dark floral buds. Thanks.

 

 

The reason I started hacking on the redbud tree was because limbs were hanging in my face, and I had to do a little dodge with my head to walk on the path. Then, I noticed what I thought were bag worms. Remember, I have cataracts. So the brown leaf looked like the huge bags that were on Aunt Willie's cedar trees in Mississippi.  But, today when my brown places were cut, it appear the leaves were like lace making me now think it is Japanese beetles.

 

In this picture, I had cut them and exbf stuffed them in a garbage bag. So, this shot is in the garbage bag. If you get bag worms, you are supposed to completely enclose the "bag" and dispose of it. So, I was trying to do the right thing. ....sigh...

 

 

This branch does not look good on the inside. Is it supposed to be brown like this?

 

 

 

 

One more question: What kind of weed/plant is this above? It is about a foot high, but I took a picture from the top.

 

Your turn

Does my redbud tree have two problems or are the leaf and growth problems part of the same problem?