The Times and Democrat; 1/23/2012
Excerpt:   “Laurel wilt, a disease that sounds the death knell for redbay trees wherever it appears, has spread to another coastal county – Georgetown.
Researchers with the S.C. Forestry Commission (aided by lab staff of the USDA Forest Service) say laurel wilt’s movement is having a devastating impact not only on redbays, but possibly other plants in the laurel family.
Redbay are ecologically and culturally important to the South. The tree is ubiquitous across coastal urban and suburban landscapes.
And it’s the tree of choice for the caterpillar of the Palamedes swallowtail, a very large black and yellow butterfly that depends entirely on redbays to complete its lifecycle. Laurel wilt’s impact on the butterfly, however, has yet to be determined…..”
Read entire article at  http://thetandd.com/laurel-wilt-spreads-adds-to-worries-over-butterfly-species-firewood/article_74ed54da-4393-11e1-9b55-001871e3ce6c.html