Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: wasp gall

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful rest of your weekend! I haven't been able to get to my trip notes yet, so I'm posting another picture from our property. :) Fall is Here! As October marches towards November, the leaves are turning every shade of the rainbow and falling from the trees in ever-greater numbers. Steve and I have been oohing and ahhing over the amazing show whenever we're out and are hoping for a fall photography adventure in if we can fit it in between his projects. Behold the Colorful, Odd Cynipid Wasp Gall One might notice that a few leaves--especially from Oaks--have something strange attached to them. These 1/4"-1"globes are perfectly round in shape, hollow and semi-translucent when held up to the sun . Upon closer examination, there will be a small hole somewhere around the lightly fuzzy ball. What a curious thing! Whatever could it be? This is a wasp gall! There are several species of wasps which lay their eggs in specific trees or other plants. When the larvae hatch and begin eating the plant's leaves, stems or branches, they also exude specialized growth hormones. These hormones cause rapid growth in the shape of a ball or lump of some sort depending on the species of gall wasp. The larvae sit inside this gall, which grows around them and provides protection and nutrients while they mature over the next few months. Eventually they will nibble their way out of the gall as fully-grown adults and fly away! Although they are technically parasites, they rarely do any harm to the host plant and leave only the empty galls as their calling cards. Our property is the home to many types of wasp galls and I think this type- Cynips mirabilis ---is my favorite, though the other species are very interesting and photogenic too! If you would like to know more about some of the different types of wasp galls, here's an informative web page for you: Wasp Galls For more pictures that include images of the various wasps and a lot more information, take a peek at this: In-Depth Article About Gall Wasps of Southern Oregon Explored on 10/26/20; highest placement #1.

(+2 insets!) Steve and I went out to look at RV trailers today! We are getting very close to purchasing our new "home on wheels" and drove into town to look at a few that are in our price range and the style that we like. It's surprising how different they can be from one company to the next and standing in each type is important to get an understanding of the space. The layouts and slide options really make a huge difference in usability and size. Even the overall tone (dark/light) changes the way one feels from another. We aren't going to get something new so we need to be very careful about how "used" our chosen trailer is. About four months ago we went RV shopping to see what was out there and we found one that we really liked for sale by a private owner. Unfortunately we didn't have the money to buy it at that time so we had to tell him that we couldn't purchase it but if it happened to still be available when our funds came together, we'd be in touch. Steve did some looking and to his surprise, he discovered that the trailer was still available! He called the owner up who said that he didn't advertise the trailer after we'd shown strong interest and only recently put it back up for sale..what are the odds? We made the effort to look at RVs today to make sure that the trailer we liked was really the one we wanted. So, tomorrow we're going to go see it again and make our decision. It will be a life-changer if we say yes!! We are very excited! Today I am posting a picture of a lovely wasp gall that I found sitting in a pool of water that was inside a tree trunk! I just love the dreamy quality of the water. I am also posting another picture of a wasp gall that's absolutely bristling with frost! In fact, I call the inset picture, "Look at My Fancy Hair!" I'm also including another panorama of our property with the Table Rocks in the background. Pam, this afternoon as we got home, the sun came out and shone brightly with stunning golden light. I thought about you my dear, so I went to your page and looked up something with "sunny" in the search results. I came up with a beautiful picture of a False Sunny (oops, that's actually a Zinnia! TY Pam!) with a skipper and butterfly visiting ...such a happy picture to see! *BIG HUGS FROM SOUTHERN OREGON* :)

The weather called for rain today but when I stepped outside it was merely a lovely light drizzle. The cool, damp air, pregnant with autumn's wonderful fragrances, filled my lungs as I stretched and marched out to the driveway. I initially had my umbrella with me but wondered if I actually needed it. Tilting it to the side, I put my hand out to test the amount. Negligible! Umbrella? FIRED! I marched back to our porch, leaned it against the porch wall and returned, enjoying the fine drizzle dancing upon my hair and face. I started down the drive, punching the air in scissor motions in front of me like I always do when I begin my walk. I felt my spine crack as my whole body loosened up. "That sure feels nice," I thought to myself, happy that I'd found a way to stretch and exercise my upper body a little bit while walking. I work out my arms in different ways as I go up and down and it's actually added some muscle to my slight frame. By the time I was half way up the hill of my first lap, the drizzle had gotten heavier. "Uh-oh, I hope I don't end up getting drenched." I high-tailed it up to the house and grabbed the spurned umbrella, popping it open as the drizzle turned into a true rain. In the span of about five minutes it fell increasingly harder until it was fairly pounding on my umbrella as I cowered in delight underneath. Wide eyes matched my Cheshire Cat grin and I was positively giddy with this "Perfect Storm" level of rain! "HOORAY!!" I splashed in the puddles and well, it was bound to happen...I burst out into song! "Singin' in the rain...just singin' in the rain...what a glorious feeling, I'm happpppy again..." I can't ever remember the rest of the words so I have fun filling in the blanks with "doo dee doos" and whatever else sounds nice before repeating the words I know. Down the driveway I went, singing and skipping all the way, splashing in every puddle and twirling my umbrella in joy! Isn't it such fun to let your inner child play at times like this?! :D The rain squall carried on for a while, finally letting up towards the end of my walk. I enjoyed every moment. I did get pretty cold though because my feet were soaked and I was pretty chilled by the time I cooled off from the exercise. I have to say that one of the best feelings in the world is a hot shower when you're chilled to the bone. The delirious sensation of pushing your frosty face into a hot shower is incredible. Deliciously warm water dancing over your hands and feet just feels so, so nice that all I can do is melt under the water and purr. Tingling toes coming back to life, warmth coming back into my hands and arms, I stand there until I begin to feel guilty about all the hot water I've been using. "Can't I just stay here?" I ask out loud, and answer by turning off the water and stepping out. "RUDE!" I snicker in response. It was very nice to be warm again, but gosh I sure had fun playing in the rain today!! :) A few days ago I wandered into our lower forest with my camera to see how things were looking after my long absence. It turned out to be a wonderful little jaunt and I came home with lots of successful shots. At one point I looked down and noticed a wasp gall stuck to an oak leaf. I was about to pass by when I noticed that there was a big hole in it and the entire orb had filled with water. The sky was reflecting in the water, and that shimmer caught my eye. "Oooooohhh!! Look at that!!!" I dropped down onto my knee pads and clicked away, hoping to capture the magic I could see there. What a happy girl I was when I looked at my pictures on the computer and discovered that they turned out! Pam, it would be such fun to wander around with you and see what catches your eye. Photography is such a fun thing to do and you never know what amazing thing will reveal itself to you. I love to think about your glorious critter shots, and wonder what it would be like to watch you do your thing. It makes me smile to think of you in the moment. I hope you had a lovely day and are feeling good today! P.S. If any of you haven't seen this or it's been a while, please be sure to watch Gene Kelly's magical masterpiece Singing in the Rain . Explored on 11/28/18, highest placement, #7.

(best appreciated at full size!) It was another gorgeous day and not so cold. Lately I've been freezing to death for the first half of my walk but today it was very nice. I spent a lot of time listening to my audio book today. Have you ever tried one? Or a podcast? They are a wonderful way to enjoy books and topical subjects when you don't have time or interest to physically read books or articles. No matter what your interest is, there is something for you. (By the way, if you've been curious about these things but need a little bit of guidance, please let me know. I'd be happy to fill you in and help you get set up!) Anyway, I've been listening to Dream Park by Larry Niven. Great concept: think Westworld meets Dungeons & Dragons. Very mediocre execution for the most part, parts are interesting, other bits are positively painful. I'm far enough into it that I'll finish it but it's not worth reading. I think I'll deserve a reward for finishing or perhaps what I really need is a noogie for continuing to slog through this dud! Yesterday I was walking down the drive way and happened upon a round ball of sorts. An Oak Gall , to be precise. Also known as an Oak Apple because of their shape, these fascinating things are created by insects called gall wasps. Wasp larvae inject chemicals onto a stem or leaf, which causes the gall to form around them. As the larvae grows, it eats the gall tissue and eventually emerges as an adult gall wasp. I remember when I first saw one of these. I wondered out loud, "What the heck is it?!" I picked it up and examined it closely, noticing how cool it looked. I find them fascinating and beautiful photography subjects . Oak galls can be many different shades of tan or brown, but are often a splotchy blend which I love. Looking at this gall on the road, I couldn't help seeing the long shadow cast by the sun that had just risen enough to light up the road. "Ohhhhh, the light!!!" Soon I had my camera in hand, and here is my picture of what I saw! Pam, I know you will love this cool thing. It's weird and wonderful, just like us! Well ok, I'm the weird one and you're the wonderful one! :D Anyway, I hope you like it, and I hope you had a nice Sunday! Explored on 11/26/18, highest position, #5.

2 more pictures above in notes! :) It was raining off and on today, so when it stopped, I immediately took the opportunity to go out and find my Picture of the Day. I returned to the same area of our upper forest as yesterday because I realized there is a lushness there which promises endless wonderful discoveries! I only went about 200 feet from the house, and there I found all kinds of mossy stumps and Oak saplings which begged closer inspection. First I found some Pixie lichen, but they weren't quite right. Then I found a lovely little mushroom under the lip of a log, and got some nice images. Then, I was carefully sweeping away leaves when I saw the leaf in the picture above! WOOT!! Look at those tiny wasp galls!! I did some looking on the internet but wasn't able to find out what kind these are, but they're a brand new discovery for me! So interesting to look at, like something from another planet. If you don't know, a wasp gall has the egg of a wasp inside, which will grow as the gall grows larger, and eventually the adult wasp will emerge from the gall! You can see the escape hole in the inset image above! Totally fascinating!! :D Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known by his stage name Moby, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, DJ and photographer. He is well known for his electronic music, vegan lifestyle, and support of animal rights. Moby has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Allmusic considers him "one of the most important dance music figures of the early '90s, helping bring the music to a mainstream audience both in the UK and in America". Wikipedia: Moby Explored on December 24, 2013. Highest placement, page 6.

5 more pictures in notes above plus 3 text notes! :) I wanted to find something colorful to show today, so I gathered the dogs and out we went into our larger meadow. I knew where I was going, and after taking a few pictures along the way, I arrived at one of our wild rose bushes, which had many rose hips all over it! Another thing our wild rose bushes have on them are a kind of wasp gall which has several different names, "moss gall", "Robin's pincushion gall", or "rose bedeguar gall. You can see this gall behind the rose hips. When I first saw these, I thought it might be a special kind of moss, but I didn't see it anywhere else. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was a wasp gall!! The red and black wasp that creates these galls must be very common on our property because all of the wild rose bushes we have are completely covered with galls, but I have never seen them before. If you would like to see what this wasp looks like, and read information about it, this page is wonderful: Bedeguar gall wasp Diplolepis rosae (Linnaeus, 1758) . Wiki also has a very good page with many pictures here: Wikipedia: Bedeguar gall wasp Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American photographer and environmentalist. His black-and-white landscape photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, and in books. Wikipedia: Ansel Adams Explored on October 9, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

1 more picture in a note above! :) Dashing through the lower forest, everything was so huge all around me, moss as tall as my head, and dried grass as big as trees...and off in the distance I could hear a high pitched voice calling, "8...9...10...READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!!!" I leaped under a moss frond and pulled it over me. Just in the nick of time too, because as I peered through the green branches, a mushroom fairy glided into view and came to a stop, turning this way and that. She moved past me after a moment, calling, "COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!!" Suddenly I felt a sneeze coming on from the dust under the moss and burst out with a loud, "ACHOOO!!!!" Quick as a flash, the little mushroom fairy flew over and giggled in her tinkling voice, "I FOUND YOU!! I FOUND YOU!!!" I woke up with a start, opening my eyes in the morning light, the laughter from the mushroom fairy fading away from my evaporating dream. Smiling, I knew it was the sign I'd been waiting for! Dressing quickly, I went out into the drizzle and kept my camera under my sweater while I began peering around. This time I chose our smaller meadow. Looking here and there, I suddenly heard a little squeak, a little tinkle of a giggle, and looked down to find a tiny mushroom fairy staring up at me, quivering in delight! "I FOUND YOU! I FOUND YOU!!" Racing around my feet, I laughed out loud in joy and knelt down to say hello to my little friend. "Well, aren't you adorable! You're the first mushroom of the season, wouldn't you like to get your picture taken?!" More squeals of tinkling laughter and she stopped by some moss just long enough for me to capture her dainty form, and then off she zoomed into the meadow, squeaking a happy goodbye! Mushroom season has come at last. :) Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher who is widely considered to be a central figure of modern philosophy. He argued that human concepts and categories structure our view of the world and its laws, and that reason is the source of morality. His thought continues to hold a major influence in contemporary thought, especially in fields such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics. Wikipedia: Immanuel Kant Explored on September 24, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

2 more pictures in notes above! :) Another drizzly morning had me yanking on my rubber boots and pulling on a jacket, with my sights set for the top of our hill, and my aim being another hunt for the first mushrooms of the season. Yet again, I found none, but I did find some interesting fungus, though the images I got weren't quite good enough to share. On my way up the hill, I spotted some wild iris leaves, which were positively covered with droplets! These leaves repel water so perfectly that the droplets form beautiful round crystal balls all over the surface. I discovered them last year, so I was very happy to see them again today, even though I didn't find any mushrooms. Tomorrow is another day, and the nice thing about not finding mushrooms is that this image can be my Picture of the Day! :) By the way, if you are interested, this is my album of mushroom images, which will give you an idea how crazy I am about them! :D Mushroom Album Isaac McLellan (May 21, 1806-August 20, 1899) was an author and poet, some of whose work has achieved notability by republication in anthologies. Wikipedia: Isaac McLellan Explored on September 23, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

3 more pictures in notes above! :) I awoke to the sound of rain pattering upon the windows and the fresh smell of a world washed clean drifted inside through the crack. As soon as there was a break in the storm, I got my camera and escaped out into the beautiful fall day. The world glistened around me and as I left for my walk, I hid my camera in my sweater because the droplets were still coming down, but only in a light drizzle. "Ohhhh, little mushrooms...where are you?!! I crept from log to log, and checked the moss in the trees, but it's still too early...or perhaps my little friends are hiding too well and giggling too quietly for me to hear them. That's ok, I can wait. Today I was simply dazzled by the first truly wet day of the season! The world was drenched and dripping everywhere, and it was really wonderful to get the chance to enjoy looking at droplets and moist leaves, and hear the sound of dripping and the happy songs of the birds in the trees. I found several trees with mossy bottoms that were quite torn up, and realized that mule deer bucks must have been rubbing their antlers there. Looking up, I saw the apple-sized wasp gall in the image above and was delighted to see it covered with droplets. In fact, the gall was shedding color, as some of the droplets looked like liquid amber! What a perfect Pick of the Day! :) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy and was one of the five Fireside Poets. Wikipedia: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

1 more picture above in a note! :) I thought it would be nice to show a closer view of this lovely wasp gall. I have many pictures of these and never tire of taking more, as each one is different and so interesting to look at! I was fascinated by the amber-colored droplets and imagine that something about the gall is coloring the water.

1 more picture + 2 text notes in notes above! :) Fall is arriving!! Day by day, I am beginning to see the trees slowly change color as the leaves die and drop from their lofty homes. It is an amazing time for me, as are all the 4 distinct seasons we have here in southern Oregon. I was born and raised in San Francisco and it is known for having a similar temperature range year-round. There are no distinct seasons, so one of the things I really wanted was to live in a place where I could experience all four seasons. Fall is incredible to me, and I always think of the quote by Albert Camus, "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." It is so absolutely true. I lose my mind with all of the beautiful leaves, they are incredible!! And so, today I am sharing another beautiful "autumn flower" from an Oak tree, complete with a Wasp Gall! :) John Burroughs (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921) was an American naturalist and essayist important in the evolution of the U.S. conservation movement. According to biographers at the American Memory project at the Library of Congress, John Burroughs was the most important practitioner after Henry David Thoreau of that especially American literary genre, the nature essay. By the turn of the 20th century he had become a virtual cultural institution in his own right: the Grand Old Man of Nature at a time when the American romance with the idea of nature, and the American conservation movement, had come fully into their own. His extraordinary popularity and popular visibility were sustained by a prolific stream of essay collections, beginning with Wake-Robin in 1871. Wikipedia: John Burroughs Explored on September 16, 2013. Highest placement, page 5.

6 pictures in notes above (and 1 text note)showing another kind of gall known as an "Oak Apple"! This is a small gall from the Speckled Gall Wasp forming on an oak leaf and is about 1/3" in diameter, and inside there is a tiny larva growing! It will continue to grow until it's about 1" in diameter and develop pretty speckles all over it.

2 more pictures in notes above! :) The other day I was walking down our road to get the mail when I noticed something round and glowing on some Oak leaves. I was surprised to see nearly a dozen galls very close together on a number of leaves. These fascinating things actually contain the larva of a Speckled Oak Gall Wasp. There are many kinds of Gall Wasps, and there are many shapes of the galls which form around the eggs layed on leaves. The larva eat the tissue inside the galls and eventually emerge as adults! Would you like to see the inside of a speckled gall? Take a peek! Outside and Inside an Oak Gall If you would like to know more about wasp galls, Wiki has a very good page here: Wikipedia: Gall Wasp Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and the most influential physicist of the 20th century. While best known for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2 (which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation"), he received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory. Wikipedia: Albert Einstein Explored on July 16, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#46).

This image was taken with our Canon 5D on our property in Southern Oregon on November 4, 2011.

Wasp gall found on an oak tree

This interesting thing is actually the home of a wasp larva, where it is protected from the elements while it grows large enough to eat through the shell and emerge as an adult. If you would like to know more about these odd, yet interesting things, here's a Wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall_wasp Here's another source of information: www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/oak_apple_gall_wasp.htm This image was taken in December, 2011.

These interesting things are actually the home of a wasp larva, where it is protected from the elements while it grows large enough to eat through the shell and emerge as an adult. If you would like to know more about these odd, yet interesting things, here's a Wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall_wasp Here's another source of information: www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/oak_apple_gall_wasp.htm I have two more images suploaded today, I hope you will take a look at them too! :) Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) This image was taken in December, 2011.

This interesting thing is actually the home of wasp larva, where it is protected from the elements while it grows large enough to eat through the shell and emerge as an adult. This particular gall is interesting to me because it has many holes in it and doesn't appear to be the same kind as the usual Oak Gall we have around our property. If you would like to know more about these odd, yet interesting things, here's a Wiki page: Wiki: Gall Wasp