Cheryl, a friend of mine, posted a picture of an Oak gall. I am always fascinated by these growths. I always wonder what has set up a nursery on these leaves. To see the gall she posted you can go here.
Her oak leaf gall is a single rather large gall. As you can see in my photo these galls are smaller and in a cluster.
I had never seen a cluster of galls like this. Usually they are singles as in Cheryl's photo.
I am not even sure what kind of Oak tree this came from let alone the type of galls. Have you ever seen such a thing? If you know anything about it I would love to read it.
I am not a gall expert, although I, too, find them fascinating. There's one on an Oak leaf here, hanging in a prominent location--I'm tempted to get a ladder and pick it off, but I'll wait until it falls. I'll be curious to know what you learn about this cluster.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I found when I looked up Red Galls.
DeleteRed Galls
Oak leaves with red gall clusters are probably hosting one of three cynipid species. The ¼-inch galls of the urchin gall wasp (Antron echinus) cling to the leaves like colonies of miniature sea urchins on underwater rocks. Clusters of red, fuzz-covered caterpillarlike structures on leaf backs shelter crystalline gall wasp (Andricus crystallinus) larvae. Oak foliage sporting what look like tiny chocolate kisses wrapped in red Valentine’s-Day foil host the red cone gall wasp (Andricus kingi).
I am not sure if any of these are it. The pictures don't look exactly like any of them. There are 800 species of these cynipid wasps so who knows??
DeleteI have never seen anything like that, though I have many oak trees of different varieties on our property. It is fascinating. At first I thought you had carefully arranged some sort of berries on the leaf!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw this leaf lying on the road I stopped in my tracks. I had never seen such a cluster of galls.
DeleteI've never seen nor heard of these before now. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteIsn't nature grand??!!
DeleteThey are a beautiful colour Lisa. Very pretty.
ReplyDeleteAlmost look like beads.
Thank you for sharing this, so fascinating.
Galls usually host species of wasp. Generally they do not sting and some of them are very pretty.
Have a fund weekend.
These wasps are so small I have never seen one. I will keep an eye out for them next spring.
DeleteThanks for sharing this as it is fascinating. I've never seen it on my oak leaves but I have a Bur Oak. One of my oak seedlings which is about 2 feet tall has galls all over its tiny little trunk. But it has been coming back and growing each year, so I guess they are not bothering the tree.
ReplyDeleteWhat I read was that these wasps don't harm a tree. In a small tree they can be unsightly and you can cut off the offending leaves.
DeleteYou can watch to see if you see any of these little galls on your trees.
What fun to see this as I have just been reading about oak galls. So many different kinds. Quercus alba (White Oak), maybe? Your region has something like 17 native oaks!
ReplyDeleteGalls generally do not damage the tree. I read that our local native oak attracts every insect there is, but all those insects attract every bird, so it all balances out. The oak has always got birds in it.
Yes, oaks are the best trees for many insects and birds. There used to be big oak savannahs in this area. They say that squirrels could travel miles and miles without leaving the tree tops. Wouldn't that be something to see?!
DeleteI've no idea about oak galls but this cluster is certainly interesting. What a great find.
ReplyDeleteOi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteSuper delicadas as imagens.
Adorei.
Bom final de semana.
janicce.
What a fascinating post and neat photos ~ never heard of the 'galls' before ~ thanks ^_^
ReplyDeleteHappy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
When I was teaching we once used the oak tree as a focus for project work. It's incredible just how much wildlife it supports in one way o=r another.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I guess they don't really harm the tree. I believe wasp larvae use them for food and shelter.
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a wonderful Sunday ~ ^_^
ReplyDeleteHappy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Wonderful to see you today, Lisa ~ Zoe is napping as it is a very rainy and gray day here in New England and not able to get out and walk ~ she knows how to cope ^_^
ReplyDeleteHappy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Dear Lisa we live in the woods and most of our trees are a variety of oaks. Generally I usually only see one as well. This is unusual to me. So will have to do some exploring and let you know if I find some like yours. Thanks for visiting me this week. I certainly am so grateful for all your lovely posts and visits. May you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving. Hugs!
ReplyDeletefascinating.
ReplyDeletehappy thanksgiving
Great having you 'visit' ~ hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving ~ ^_^
ReplyDeleteHappy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)