Backyard and Beyond

On the fresh young leaves of a pin oak (Quercus palustris), the globular galls of the Succulent Oak Gall Wasp (Dryocosmus quercuspalustris).

Also on the catkins. The binomial alludes to their being found on this species of oak, but this gall ID database notes that they can be found on other oak species as well. I’ve found them on Red Oak and Nuttal’s Oak.

This is the 30th species of Cynipid oak gall wasp I’ve found in Brooklyn so far. These galls were prolifically distributed about this tree. This same tree is also host to a good number of Callirhytis stem galls. I was looking at another pin oak elsewhere in the cemetery the day before. It looked to be about the same size/age as this one and had no evidence of any gall species on it. That I saw, anyway.

Still on this pin oak. Here’s evidence of Macrodiplosis erubescens, a gall midge.