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[<eureka AT hctc.net>]

Unfortunately the gall would be seen by many as something 
making their tree less than perfect (such an American 
obsession), and chemicals would be brought in to eliminate 
the wasp. But we know wasps are such great pollinators and 
these undoubtedly have some vital roll in your diverse 
ecosystem. Isn't it wonderful when every new discovery 
rekindles one's sense of wonder?

Our oaks are heavily "infested" (as they like to say 
locally) with ball moss and there are companies that will 
come and spray your trees with something akin to baking 
soda to kill it off. I don't think it is particularly 
attractive for the trees, but the plant itself is quite 
interesting and I know Tillandsia sp. are used 
medicinally, Although people think it is a parasite it is 
really epiphitic in the bromeliad family and exists 
entirely from what it can collect from the air. It also 
grows profusely on the electric lines here (proof that it 
is not parasitic).

It seems to me there has been an increase in the last two 
decades of ball moss in the hill country. I know that 
lichens are an indicator of clean air (kind of a miner's 
canary) but I often wonder what the ball moss 
proliferation is indicating. It seems to me it would say 
the air is supplying more nutrients now?

Also, in the case of the galls on your trees, which you 
have not noticed before, I wonder what this is indicating?

Here I have already learned to "read" some insect 
activity. For instance, when the cutleaf ants get active 
we are going to have a rainy season and some flooding. I 
think I already mentioned on the list once that during the 
two 500 year floods I've been through large slugs came 
into my kitchen. One was a two slug flood and the other 
was a three slug flood. I am sure the next time it is 
raining and I see slugs in the kitchen I'm in for a bad 
one. How can these slugs know what even our meteorologists 
with the best equipment cannot? How nice to have them to 
warn me should I find myself without electricity in the 
future.

As you can see you are not the only one with insomnia.

--Sage


On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:46:45 -0400
 EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:
> I'm like you, I want to know things.  I want to know 
> every plant, tree, 
> insect, gall, whatever, that is part of my world here. 
> Even with the 
> internet and Google, I haven't been able to find a 
> picture of my gall. 
> That is indicative of some serious biodiversity.  I may 
> be looking at 
> some indigenous localized wasp species or maybe there is 
> something 
> unique about my soil that causes the tree to make a 
> different kind of 
> gall.  I cut it open, and inside I can see pulpy 
> striations like the 
> striations you see on a larger scale in the apple oak 
> gall.
> Anyway, you never know when or how such knowledge might 
> be useful.
>
> Bev