Oak Gall

A quick shot of this little nematode habitat for Cynipid wasps. You can see multiple holes that are escape hatches for the wasps once they've metamorphosed into winged creatures. The gall is created by the female who lays her eggs on the branch or twig of the tree. The Oak tree reacts to the chemicals in the eggs and grows a gall or "apple" around the eggs. The small worms eat their way through and emerge as an adult Cynipid wasp that lives for a few weeks and starts the whole process over again. The wasp egg doesn't injure the tree, and the tree provides a safe place to eat and grow before emerging as an adult. The galls eventually dry up and fall off the tree. I've seen squirrels and other rodents eating on the galls after they've dropped from the tree to the ground.

Buzzzzzzzz...