Galls

Gall

Galls are abnormal growths on plants that are caused by insects, mites, or fungi. They can look like bumps, warts, or even balls. Inside these galls, the insect or mite lives and feeds. Some galls are harmless, while others can weaken the plant. Galls are interesting examples of how plants and insects can interact in surprising ways.

The following captioned pictures on galls in Wollaton Park have been reproduced, with permission, from an interesting post by SK53 on the Mastodon social media network about the Gall’s on the Oak trees on Digby Avenue.

Gall
A green Alder cone with black ‘tongues’ protruding. These are caused by the fungus Taphrina alni which causes the plant tissue to grow in unusual ways.
Gall
Three different oak galls on a twig. Left to right: large and small hemispheres are Marble and Colanut galls, whilst the long horn-like ones are Ram’s-horn galls.
Gall
A brown scruffy growth on the end of a twig. This is an old Artichoke gall.
Gall
A gall of Andricus gemmeus nestling amongst epicormic shoots of an Oak. The gall is small, 4mm, and consists of a hemisphere of numerous conical projections in shades of yellow and red.

SK53 has also produced a map of the Galls found in Wollaton Park on iNaturalist.

Gall Mal

For further images and descriptions of Galls in Wollaton Park see the following posts on Mastodon…

Photographs on this web page were taken in Wollaton Park and are reproduced with the original artist’s permission.  Copyright © for each picture remains with the original artist, who is duly acknowledged for their contribution.

On this page:  SK53.