Happy Memorial Day and Mystery Monday! Do you know what native tree is almost ripe with fruits?
Last week, we asked you about a gall produced by the wool sower gall wasp (Callirhytis seminator). A gall is an abnormal growth of the plant tissue usually due either to insects, viruses or fungi. In this case, the wool sower gall wasp lays its eggs in the plant tissue of the white oak tree and the larvae give off secretions that cause the “gall” to form. Within the gall, the larvae are protected and able to develop. This wasp is tiny (only about 1/8″ long) and does not sting humans. Interestingly, they operate on a two-generation alternating cycle, switching back and forth between laying their eggs in the stems and the leaves of white oaks.
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Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go here.
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