Aug 26, 2025
Went on holiday and forgot I had left a wasp gall on my desk. Can't stop laughing
Where'd she go
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Went on holiday and forgot I had left a wasp gall on my desk. Can't stop laughing
Where'd she go
This is partially an ID request, but mostly just wondering if you know what's going on here? This is a gall on an oak tree, with two wasps (maybe of two different species?) just... hanging out on it? First picture is from one night, there was only one wasp, and i thought it was dead (i'm thinking it was not). Others are from tonight, both alive.
Regardless, it was very exciting to see, and I want to share!
Lovation is mid-atlantic, usa
Ok, so I believe these wasps are in the family Torymidae... they are parasitoids on gall forming wasps. So, they are probably gathering to insert their ovipositors into the galls to lay eggs on the wasp larvae that formed the galls.
Torymidae - Wikipedia
Family Torymidae - BugGuide.Net
Any wasp specialists wanna chime in on this one?
@clearlyafandomblog submitted: Found these stunning wasp galls on a hike the other day! The wool sower gall was especially exciting, I'd never seen one before! The sapling had 3-4 other galls on it, I figured chances were good it was also a gall and a quick google confirmed as much. I've loved galls since childhood - before I knew they were wasp nurseries - and I love them even more now!
Fun finds! Galls are all over the place if you know what you're looking for.
I found a cool leaf with tons of wasp galls
[Image ID: A digital painting of a bumpy, two-lobed, teal-colored oak apple wasp gall on a branch. The larger lobe has a white circle on it, evoking the PCOS Pride flag, which is a teal field with a white ring in the center. The background of the image is a soft purple which transitions to yellow directly behind the gall. The painting is watermarked @/sex-variant. /end ID]
Based on @v3rsi's request. This was fun to make, I enjoyed painting the gall's texture!
Hopefully I'll be able to do a few more of these illustrations if my body holds out this time haha.
Physically, yes I could eat a wasp gall. But emotionally? Imagine the toll
Wool-sower wasp gall on an oak
4/17 at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve