Anyone know what this is?

in #nature7 years ago

So I was just out on the north side of the house and looked to the edge of the woods and saw these yellow/orange berries. Except they were on Lacey oak and live oak trees.

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I've never seen anything like it. First thought was an egg sac of some kind. Most are on the center of leaves and are about the size of a cherry.

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I pulled a leaf off and took it to the backyard, showed @silversmyth, and we decided to cut it open.

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It was easy to slice in half, kinda like a firm grape. Inside, was a symmetrical web of fibers.

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I looked online and couldn't find anything like it. Hard to imagine an egg sac would look so much like a berry.

Any ideas?

Sort:  

Galls - check out Gall Maker Wasps.

We have lots of gall wasps and the only ones I've seen are a light brown. Great idea, it's kinda similar. These are perfectly round, too, which is not what I commonly see here.

Gall wasps produce a wide variety of gall shapes and colours dependent on species. This link is to a wasp that produces a very similar colour and shape: http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/smooth-pea-gall-wasp

That's definitely it, mystery solved. Thank you!

I searched a little further and the inside looks like a wasp gall for sure. I've been a nature wanderer here my whole life and have never seen this type. Thanks for the idea, I'll keep my eye on them.

yup that's an oak gall!!! They are kinda cool!

It's a gall! Gall wasps are fascinating creatures. The ones we get in Missouri and Ohio "brainwash" the white and red oaks into turning their acorns into little chambers for their developing larvae. There's a fantastic BBC clip that explains it well

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i don't think this is an egg.did you taste flavour?

Since I know they are not a product of the trees they're on, I didn't eat one. However, the chickens found them to be delicious.

Looks like you're new here. Posting links to unrelated stuff in the comments can get you flagged. Thought you'd want to know now before that happens.

yes im new here

It was really cool. I'm leaning toward that it's a fungus.

Cool! I follow you. I give you a vote!

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