wondered if anyone else had come across this
and/or had any idea what was causing it
I recently visited my dad - and on going for a walk,
came across a strange phenomena on some oak trees
The acorns that were forming were very odd indeed -
the small ones were fine,
but the larger ones were completely malformed - the cups were normal
but the acorns looked almost as if they had been melted - just like smooth green splats
exploding out of the cups, a completely irregular almost liquid shape
it was actually quite spooky - this wasn't just one acorn - or one tree
there were several oaks, and every one of the larger acorns had the same affliction
the only thought I had was that there is now a large landfill nearby on the other side of the river
(bout 1/2 mile) and there was some kind of airborne pollution that was effecting the growth
I would very much appreciate any ideas on what could be causing it??
or if anyone else had seen anything similar[/b]
Good call, Chowmom! ::hands clapping::
Wikipedia's article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knopper_gall describes the appearance of the galls and their first arrival in Britain in 1962, followed by a population explosion in 1979. The Wiki article also includes a couple of photographs and links to other oak-gall articles.
Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17
Wikipedia's article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knopper_gall describes the appearance of the galls and their first arrival in Britain in 1962, followed by a population explosion in 1979. The Wiki article also includes a couple of photographs and links to other oak-gall articles.
Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17
Hi All
thank you all very much for responding
Hi Kisal - didn't have a camera at the time but...
I have tried to insert an image (but I'm on a mac and don't think the site likes me)
(with Chowmom's help) the best picture of what I came across was
https://www.uksafari.com/galls4.htm
Chowmom - indeed - that was a very good call
it was indeed "knopper galls"
I have come across various malformations caused by wasps
but I can't remember ever coming across a formation like this
(usually circular)(ish)
I spend most of my spare time walking about the countryside
(head in the clouds obviously) - very strange - every single one of the acorns (tut!)
isn't google wonderful - well! - when you know what you are looking for?
didn't find anything when I searched for acorn related thingies Friday
thanks everyone (another mystery resolved)
I did send a query to the uk forestry commission on Friday though and just got this reply
(whoever said government is unresponsive)
------------
Dear Paul
The deformed acorns have been affected by tiny parasitic 'gall wasps'
and are referred to as 'knopper galls'. Knopper galls are widespread and
common, although numbers fluctuate greatly from year to year. They do
not affect the health of the tree in any way. Further information can be
found in the attached information note.
Christine Tilbury
Entomology Advisor
-------------
[/img]https://www.uksafari.com/galls4.htm[/img][/img][/url]
thank you all very much for responding
Hi Kisal - didn't have a camera at the time but...
I have tried to insert an image (but I'm on a mac and don't think the site likes me)
(with Chowmom's help) the best picture of what I came across was
https://www.uksafari.com/galls4.htm
Chowmom - indeed - that was a very good call
it was indeed "knopper galls"
I have come across various malformations caused by wasps
but I can't remember ever coming across a formation like this
(usually circular)(ish)
I spend most of my spare time walking about the countryside
(head in the clouds obviously) - very strange - every single one of the acorns (tut!)
isn't google wonderful - well! - when you know what you are looking for?
didn't find anything when I searched for acorn related thingies Friday
thanks everyone (another mystery resolved)
I did send a query to the uk forestry commission on Friday though and just got this reply
(whoever said government is unresponsive)
------------
Dear Paul
The deformed acorns have been affected by tiny parasitic 'gall wasps'
and are referred to as 'knopper galls'. Knopper galls are widespread and
common, although numbers fluctuate greatly from year to year. They do
not affect the health of the tree in any way. Further information can be
found in the attached information note.
Christine Tilbury
Entomology Advisor
-------------
[/img]https://www.uksafari.com/galls4.htm[/img][/img][/url]