What is it Wednesday archive: February 14, 2018

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

February 14, 2018. 

And the answer is....

This is a type of oak apple gall that we find often at Lutherlyn, known as a “large empty” oak apple, to distinguish it from the smaller and denser “spongy” oak apple gall. 

Galls develop on a plant when something irritates the plant, causing it to grow extra tissue around that irritation to protect the plant. 

This gall develops on the leaves of oak trees when a gall wasp  (A. quercusinanis ) lays an egg in the tissue of the leaf. The larva hatches and develops in a small space in the center of the gall. The fiber in the gall surrounds the larva and protects it as it grows. Like this one and the cherry pouch galls featured on a previous What Is It Wednesday, most galls that develop on leaves cause no damage to the tree. 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!