Fighting Rust in my Backyard

By Vicky Barney, Steamboat Springs The serviceberry bushes in my backyard look unhealthy.   The leaves are covered in brown spots and the berries look very dry.   Since I love the bushes because they feed the birds and the occasional bear, I decided to investigate the problem.   Rust on serviceberry leaves Serviceberry and chokecherry bushes dominate the open space in my neighborhood.   In previous summers, a few brown spots were noticeable on some serviceberry leaves, but the bushes looked healthy overall.   This year, though, entire bushes look sickly and berry production has been poor.   Some research indicated that the bushes might have a fungus, if there was something more than brown spots on the leaves.   On closer inspection, I saw the brown spots had tendrils growing out of the back sides of the leaves, another indication of fungus. (See photo)   I took a branch from an infected bush to Barb, Christine, and Rozanne at the Master Gardener Office Hours last Thursday to confirm t