with any luck i did observe the vine parasitizing the gall because thats what i was desperately looking for
Cercis canadensis
This gall/mine had no sign on the top of the leaf; On bottom, all galls had a characteristic black streak in the middle. Galls 4-5 mm.
I examined 122 leaf mines. 73% were empty, 21% contained larvae or pupae. Larvae are white, the pupae initially white before darkening.
Compare gallformers.org Unknown c-canadensis-blister-gall
https://gallformers.org/gall/3475
Naturally occurring hybrid of Quercus falcata and Q. nigra, which often has leaves similar in appearance to Q. georgiana but the buds and acorn cap scales are different. Both parental species are present here.
Quercus chapmanii x minima. Forms a large, low clone. Grows with Q. minima, and Q. chapmanii grows within several hundred feet of this spot.
potentially a hybrid involving Q. nigra? Or just an odd, toothy, thicket-forming expression of Q. nigra?
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MAAlHsES9A
Slice from this gall: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/113176333
On Crimson Spire Oak (Q. robur x Q. alba) Gall photos included. This adult emerged as I cut into gall. Some gall wasps on tree have already started emerging. Tree has only been in the ground for 2 years, new home development.
Inflorescences and flowers from separate male and female trees. Thanks to Gerry Moore, USDA NRCS, for collecting this material.
Undersides of leaves strongly whitened and hairy
Same as: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/111719208
Ant's observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/112333673
Working on ID’ing the native species in my yard. Definitely Quercus but I’m stuck on the species. I think it’s either Q. hemisphaerica, Q. phellos, or Q. nigra.
Host: Quercus phellos
Host: Quercus phellos
Seems to match the description
https://www.gallformers.org/gall/1119
Parasitoid that emerged from ex-situ reared galls on Quercus pumila. See here for gall inducing wasp observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/110953456
Host: Quercus phellos
Host: Quercus phellos
ID by Keith Bradley, SCDNR botanist
root gall with wasp inside
trees/bushes nearby:
Southern Red Oak
White Oak
Water Oak
Carolina Buckthorn
Yaupon Holly
American Hornbeam
Southern Magnolia
Black Gum/Tupelo
I wanted something a little special for my 500th species observation, so here is federally endangered American chaffseed, a great population found at first by Doug McGrady, then ID'd by Pam Polloni and Don Schall in 2018. This species reappeared after a 53 year absence from the bay state, and in a brand new location.
Enormous specimen for what is normally a shrubby species. About 6 meters tall, trunks around 20 cm DBH. Remnants of the sand pine scrub habitat that existed here before the cemetery was constructed. I do not know if this tree is still alive today.
Growing with Quercus geminata and a huge Q. inopina:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/69387777
Encino característico por bellotas grandes, sobre todo la cúpula, pero , compacto el pericarpio
Being eaten by Oak Titmouse, bird observed separately.
A cultivated tree I've been watching for nearly ten years, and I suspected it was a hybrid because it's not like the other oaks planted here in a long row (all Quercus austrina), and is not like any oak species I know of. It has a dense crown with lots of fine branching; fairly small, semi-coriaceous leaves, with a few that persist well into the winter; and thick, pubescent twigs. I suspected that a live oak was one parent, but based on the leaf shape I wondered if the other parent was a post oak or a burr oak. I hadn't found any acorns until recently, when I found one very large acorn with a thick cap, which excludes any post oak species but is fitting for burr oak.
Another interesting thing about this tree is that twigs with fully developed terminal buds have powdery mildew on their leaves, whereas twigs without properly developed terminal buds have leaves free of powdery mildew.
Photos taken in September 2021 and January 2022.
-very strange oak
-few lobes, some even look maple-like (this is definitely way out of range for maple-leaf oak!)
-site is wet forest on black, organic soils over dense clay
-this tree is in a very diverse oak community that includes Q. shumardii, Q. palustris, and Q. rubra which it may be a hybrid of.
-acorns are very large, have faint striping
-leaves have orange tufts of hair at vein/mid rib junctions on leaf undersides (like Q. shumardii does)
-is it a Shumard oak with strange lobes?
-is is a Shumard hybrid such as Q. x riparia (Shumard x red oak hybrid) or Q. x mutabilis (Shumard x pin oak)?
My best guess: Q. x fernowii, a hybrid between post oak and white oak. The leaves have more lobes than typical on a post oak. I found other post oaks in the park with leaves that have the classic Maltese cross shape.
Strange oak gall (possible mite or midge) on Quercus x warei hybrid of Quercus bicolor and Quercus robur (upright English oak)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/55849213 a week later
seedling (probably a few years old)
I can’t remember what type of leaf this was on
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
Q alba massive infestation 10-20 galls per leaf every leaf I looked at
On Quercus rubra
collected to rear
On Quercus rubra
This is a problematic cicada! Though clearly cassinii (that's all that has emerged in my location), it has an aberrant orange patch behind its right eye. The patch extends onto the pleura, and (interestingly) there is an orange patch on the right side of the head as well, between the eye and the cibarium (photo 5). This casts a little doubt on septendecim IDs made exclusively based on the presence of thoracic patches, and reinforces the importance of side + underside shots for ID.
I'll be interested to see if I encounter any more like this one; it may be a rare aberration.
Smallest bee in North America, on sandmat (Euphorbia albomarginata?), on disturbed roadsides in suburban Western Mojave. Both the flowers and the bees are about 2 mm across.
Quarter is for size reference
On a few of the red oak saplings, which are up to 3' high, in this shady area, along with a bunch of Norway maple sprouts.
! on wet mud near swampy area in woods
On Quercus stellata. Not positive gall wasp but best place to start
Hatching! They emerge orange and dry to black with a red abdomen.
Collected egg cluster on Dec 2, 2020 from Post Oak. Original observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/66029340
Galls on bur oak leaf
gall wasp? looked similar/ similar sized as crematogaster on same bridge
Adults emerged 27Feb - 3March from galls collected 16Nov here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65050591 They continue to emerge, so I'll try to get better pics next time. I have preserved them in vial 47 for ID confirmation and other scientific interest.
Reared from galls collected 12 Nov 2020. Emerged 26Feb - 3Mar 2021 following several days of rain and then a bright sunny day. Found one in the process of emerging and noted they exit from the side near the tip. About 14 wasps preserved in vial 44 for anyone interested. Galls also available.
Orig obsv: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/64764734
Coccoloba diversifolia leaf collected on 2/15/21 from Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Boca Raton, FL
Adult emerged on 2/22/21 in captivity.
Xylaria magnoliae under 330nm UV light. UV+ blue
Original observation of gall: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/64764598. Adults emerged 1/26/21 after a couple of days of rain and sun today. Preserved for ID confirmation, vial 38.
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk. Amazing this small hawk could take a squirrel most likely larger than the hawk.
tracks and scat
This is the unidentified/undescribed woolly Post Oak gall that I have seen and collected for rearing over the last few weeks. This observation will serve as my "field notes" on this species and the "type" observation, if such a thing can be.
Observations based on a collection of about 30 leaves at this location. (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65443224)
Host Plant: Post Oak, Quercus stellata
A narrow dome-shaped gall firmly attached to the lower leaf surface on midrib; wool easily detaches leaving the cells "naked" on the leaves; wool pale to brownish yellow, but can also be reddish although not fully so. (Not as dark rufous/russet like Andricus pattoni.) No sign of gall on the upper leaf surface, but the attachment point on the midrib leaves a scar when galls are forcibly detached. (Not sure if this is evident if they naturally come off.) Some cells have a noticeably bumpy texture. Most commonly seen in groups of 2 that cannot be distinguished as separate galls unless wool is removed. Observed individuals and groups up to 5, most frequently in a row but occasionally bunched or clumped. The shape of the cells can be irregular when several appear together in a group.
Wasps have started emerging (in N Tex) by mid-Nov. (Since this gall stays attached to to the leaf instead of detaching and falling to the ground, I do not think they exit in larval form.)
I took some measurements for a previous observation that I am copying here for reference. Measured with wool attached as would be seen on the leaf untouched.
Average width: 3.9mm (compared to 13.7mm for A. pattoni)
Min-Max width: 1.8mm - 6.0mm
Median width: 3.9mm
I am dubbing this the Woolly Gumdrop Gall and setting up a Similar Observation Set ("postoak_gumdrop") to collect like observations until an ID can be made. Update: ID resolved, SOS removed.
I'm calling these "microgalls". Very tiny, but they appear to be full size, with some found brown and open. Post oak
Appears to be growing on the back of an oak leaf
On leaves in the white oak group (possibly Q. austrina x stellata).