January 22, 2013

Oak Leaf Galls

Now showing:  Oak Leaf Galls.  Visually, they take these leaves from ordinary to eye-catching.


These are red oak leaves.  They have pointed bristles on the end of each lobe.  (White oak leaves, on the other hand, have blunt lobes and no bristles.)

The galls are created by gall wasps.

I've discussed galls before in my former post, "Pretty Galling".  You can find that here:
http://foundonthetrail.blogspot.com/2012/07/it-takes-lot-of-gall.html

Generally such leaf galls are harmless to the tree.  They represent an interaction between the leaf and the gall wasp - a part of life that left its mark.  Perhaps we could say that galls give the leaves a little more character.  I know that they sure caught my eye, and I was interested in the story behind the appearance.

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