Three Oak Galls Or Apple Galls In Varying Stages Of Decomposition Royalty-Free Stock Photo

Galls are abnormal plant growths caused by insects, mites, nematodes, fungi, bacteria and viruses. They usually form during the accelerated growth period of new leaves, shoots and flowers in late spring. In this photo, you can see the brown leaf still attached to its branch and some of the leaf's veins. These 3 are called Oak galls and were larger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball. They are caused by a parasitic wasp, perhaps Amphibolips confluenta. After an egg has been laid in a leaf secretes a substance that causes the leaf to grow as a round papery fibrous home for the larva. The larva feeds on the inside of the gall and emerges upon maturing into an adult wasp. The wasps have definitely vacated the second two galls. The first on the left has a tiny hole but is otherwise intact.