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That's a gal. It's really cool. A wasp deposits eggs in the branch. The resulting larvae secreet some juice That makes the plant grow a big lump full of food for the grub and insulation to last over winter. Eventually the wormy gross into a mature wasp and tunnels out through a tiny hole.
Many plants have very specific wasp species that only parasitize that plant.
Edit, so this is an oak gall.
Oak galls are not beneficial, at all. Leaf galls are less of an issue than the ones in the woody tissue of branches. I worked on a tree crew for several years and they can decimate a tree, if it's already not in the best of health and/or its a heavy infestation them leeching off of it can be the final thing to kill it, in a healthy tree with a light infestation we'd remove them and they generally recover but in saplings it can stunt them.
Oh OK, yeah that's a different story then, wow that was interesting reading up on fig wasps, I never knew figs actually produced an enzyme to break down the wasps corpses and feed off them which is why we don't find little bodies in them. That's some cool shit.
I was under the impression that an actual jerk wasp was inside which is why I made the (asinine) comment. Someone else explained they aren’t the wasps that I foolishly thought they were. I’ll leave em in peace :)
I assume you're trying to imply that you will help rid the world of one less wasp with your clumsy act of cruelty? Yea that would prolly kill them.
Btw, these insects don't sting humans.
[gal wasp](https://www.google.co.uk/search?sca_esv=2012520a95282aaf&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWII8uO3hTqOfARBlQPGRk6j2ayI-Zg:1715824734830&q=oak+gall+wasp&uds=ADvngMh0D2ZsoxxnALUlJWyBe40IXn5G2U9ZTrwX6yCf_aPv8lzPPCeEsOnXrpJp8Sw3qb6UNWMJarid_NI9A-sQLEcxgdvFKnC13ucfSctM1KQWqQstRE0wIyGa-qEaKIhGF-EtM-zL6AhboFZ-98ZshiNcIqVFIxJjuInMNRUGth1kQCd1jIZmoEAgJi3okGNhBuFj1Y2AmsPh-KVDNEYTvsoUtYSRVbvHYKuAQIS4m4WPuEgGO11nGq-w82FY6kA7NMDi7RUVAXAX7XqEX_o7zgXNYLMCGfUHFTy8DWnd3crDriyKP-oT09aEnf-yeq9JBmzwUF_zHiYGvTXSvdbYmcJJ4uNPfQ&udm=2&prmd=ivnmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAycOeiZGGAxUOk4kEHX6qBfMQtKgLegQIDBAB&biw=320&bih=568&dpr=3.38#vhid=kkuectbSTj6V1M&vssid=mosaic)
It’s a gall. A wasp stung the tree and laid eggs in it. The swelling from the sting becomes that the gall (that lump) which protects the wasp eggs giving them a safe place to grow. AFAIK, the babies live out their whole development cycle inside the gall, hatching into larvae,eating wood tissue like termites, then becoming pupae (like a caterpillar) and finally burrowing out of the gall as adults. In the picture, you can see the holes where the new adult wasps emerged.
Medieval monks would collect galls, and boil them with certain minerals to make ink.
I have a huge red oak with galls. Nothing to worry about as long as the limbs are healthy and producing leaves. Even if you experience some limb drop, it’s probably still fine. Oaks lose limbs regularly.
Please reply to this comment with "solved!" if your question was answered, or "unsolved!" if it was not, in order to update your post flair. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's a gal. It's really cool. A wasp deposits eggs in the branch. The resulting larvae secreet some juice That makes the plant grow a big lump full of food for the grub and insulation to last over winter. Eventually the wormy gross into a mature wasp and tunnels out through a tiny hole. Many plants have very specific wasp species that only parasitize that plant. Edit, so this is an oak gall.
Like a fig wasp.
Wouldn't that be a symbiote, not a parasite.
Only if the tree gains some advantage in the bargain.
The wasp helps it get to make fruit, which helps it reproduce
Oak galls are not beneficial, at all. Leaf galls are less of an issue than the ones in the woody tissue of branches. I worked on a tree crew for several years and they can decimate a tree, if it's already not in the best of health and/or its a heavy infestation them leeching off of it can be the final thing to kill it, in a healthy tree with a light infestation we'd remove them and they generally recover but in saplings it can stunt them.
I'm talking about figs, not galls
Oh OK, yeah that's a different story then, wow that was interesting reading up on fig wasps, I never knew figs actually produced an enzyme to break down the wasps corpses and feed off them which is why we don't find little bodies in them. That's some cool shit.
Nature is amazing
I thought long and hard about this. And I've come to the conclusion that undoubtedly the tree does gain
r/redditsniper strikes again
Built in home defense.
Thinking long and hard, the only way to do it.
https://preview.redd.it/r4unrjeeko0d1.png?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b875fd4b7f471fc5dee6397e9fc74e55edb856af
You got any with nuts?
You got any grapes?
They can be used to make ink .
Identifying tbe chemical components of Oak Gall is one of the best methods of authentication of hustorical documents .
If I squish one, does a future wasp die?
fyi they are not at all squishy. texture similar to an oak tree
They really are not squishy. I mean maybe a hammer. Not soft, hard like wood
I was under the impression that an actual jerk wasp was inside which is why I made the (asinine) comment. Someone else explained they aren’t the wasps that I foolishly thought they were. I’ll leave em in peace :)
Strong, like ape
You alter the space-time continuum
I assume you're trying to imply that you will help rid the world of one less wasp with your clumsy act of cruelty? Yea that would prolly kill them. Btw, these insects don't sting humans. [gal wasp](https://www.google.co.uk/search?sca_esv=2012520a95282aaf&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWII8uO3hTqOfARBlQPGRk6j2ayI-Zg:1715824734830&q=oak+gall+wasp&uds=ADvngMh0D2ZsoxxnALUlJWyBe40IXn5G2U9ZTrwX6yCf_aPv8lzPPCeEsOnXrpJp8Sw3qb6UNWMJarid_NI9A-sQLEcxgdvFKnC13ucfSctM1KQWqQstRE0wIyGa-qEaKIhGF-EtM-zL6AhboFZ-98ZshiNcIqVFIxJjuInMNRUGth1kQCd1jIZmoEAgJi3okGNhBuFj1Y2AmsPh-KVDNEYTvsoUtYSRVbvHYKuAQIS4m4WPuEgGO11nGq-w82FY6kA7NMDi7RUVAXAX7XqEX_o7zgXNYLMCGfUHFTy8DWnd3crDriyKP-oT09aEnf-yeq9JBmzwUF_zHiYGvTXSvdbYmcJJ4uNPfQ&udm=2&prmd=ivnmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAycOeiZGGAxUOk4kEHX6qBfMQtKgLegQIDBAB&biw=320&bih=568&dpr=3.38#vhid=kkuectbSTj6V1M&vssid=mosaic)
The more I know!
It’s a gall. A wasp stung the tree and laid eggs in it. The swelling from the sting becomes that the gall (that lump) which protects the wasp eggs giving them a safe place to grow. AFAIK, the babies live out their whole development cycle inside the gall, hatching into larvae,eating wood tissue like termites, then becoming pupae (like a caterpillar) and finally burrowing out of the gall as adults. In the picture, you can see the holes where the new adult wasps emerged. Medieval monks would collect galls, and boil them with certain minerals to make ink.
TIL: I had heard of iron gall ink but I never knew it was made from oak galls.
The Book of Kells is an awesome movie
The gal of some people…
Gadot away
Oak apple. It is a wasp egg, but a cool one.
Y'all are awesome, definitely nerds but awesome nerds. Thank you everyone for your informative tidbits and mid tier puns
Poke it https://preview.redd.it/nwa0oi68mr0d1.jpeg?width=504&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a884711c15635f5eec8fd2f19be3ac7469bf15c
Thanks for asking this. I found a dozen of these when I trimmed my oak tree. Meant to ask a while back. Good to know!
Tree egg.
I have a huge red oak with galls. Nothing to worry about as long as the limbs are healthy and producing leaves. Even if you experience some limb drop, it’s probably still fine. Oaks lose limbs regularly.
There's my gal stone.
Can this be dried and turned on a lathe?.. maybe some interesting looking teeny tiny bowls lol
Now you can write that letter...