What is stripping laburnum flowers?

A previously healthy and full flowering laburnum has had most of the flower stems stripped of all the buds leaving just a green stalk behind. What can be doing this? I thought all parts of the tree were poisonous. Any clues anyone and how can I prevent this happening next year? Thanks.

 

Welcome to GC LizzieBee. A picture or two would be helpful if possible please. You say stripped of all the buds so I presume they haven't fallen naturally?

 

Hello Lizzie and welcome. Busy? I wonder if the late frost was the culprit?

 

Here are some photos of the problem.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Possibly frost although there is no sign of frost damage like I can see on my wisteria and laurels. Bees? I used to be a beekeeper and the stems had not yet opened the flowers so again, probably not.


I am including a photo of the issue as requested.

 

Not something I have ever come across, it looks a bit strange to me, is the tree struggling by any chance, although I must admit the leaves look fine.

I have a laburnum which flowers like crazy on even years and is very patchy on odd years, so this year not much happening with mine.
I think if it was a fruit tree it would be called "Biennial bearing", but it has got itself into this pattern and I cant shift it.

 

Today I chased off a pair of red legged partridges, they were pulling the buds off my geums, and that made me think about the laburnum problem. Lizzie Bee, have you seen more pigeons than usual? Do you have a lot of finches? Maybe this is bird damage.

 

I'm wondering if it's lack of water and the leaves have started dropping to preserve the tree. This last winter and spring have been quite dry.

 

Hello. Yes we do have lots of finches of all varieties. Is it ok for them to eat the buds and not die?
I am very sad that my laburnum looks very sparse this year. Will probably hang some CDs in the branches next spring!

 

You could sing that Bobby Goldsborough song then...

CD tree how big it's grown...

I'll get me coat...

 

I`m not so sure they eat the flowers, I think they just go into ''thug'' mode and peck them off for the hell of it...and I think it's the seeds of the Laburnum that are poisonous - although I have never heard of anyone dying from them.

 

Feed me more flutter butter - else I`m bringing my mates round......no flutter butter, no laburnum flowers ! And I mean it.