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Live Oak Bud Gall

Callirhytis quercusagrifoliae

Description:

Small, bright, green wasp gall that resembles a small apple.

Habitat:

Coast Live Oak

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2 Comments

Good question, mcaul6515. This is an abnormal part of the Oak tree that has grown after a gall wasp injected the twig with a chemical and eggs. The larvae grow inside the gall, feeding on the plant material inside and stay protected from predators. When they're grown, they exit the gall.
Other galls can be made from types of midges, psyllids, flies and aphids. Different insects choose different plant hosts and the galls look different.

mcaul6515
mcaul6515 11 years ago

What is that??

San Diego, California, USA

Spotted on Nov 4, 2013
Submitted on Nov 5, 2013

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