Q: I have an old oak tree. During the recent cicada invasion, this tree took a mighty hit from those insects. Numerous small branches began to fall. I assumed they were falling because of the cicadas having made slits in the branches to lay eggs. Then, later, the tree began to literally dry up. The moss on part of its bark began to fade and dry. Some bark fell off. Leaves look wilted. I had no idea what was happening until I read about oak wilt in your article. Could the injuries caused by the cicadas (like pruning during the growing season) have given entry to the fungus that causes oak wilt? Thank you so much for giving me some insight into what may be killing my tree. It is huge, towering over the two-story house and will have to be taken down by a crane if it doesn’t recover. …