Admiring the mystical beauty of an Oak tree under the deep blue sky near Pioneertown calls forth appreciation for the natural world. Those with excessively observant tendancies might also notice odd, apple like attachments, confusingly dissimilar to the acorns expected on local Quercus specimens. They are not fruits, rather Oak Insect Galls.
Known also as Cecidia, galls are masses formed on external tissues of plants or animals. They are created by a range of organisms, including fungi, viruses, and insects. Scientific records indicate they are assembled primarily through a chemical reaction, with speculation on supplimental mechanical processes. Insect galls are those formed by plant eating insects.
Oak Apples are a specific type of Insect Gall, constructed by gall wasps. After formation is complete, it usually houses larva, which eat the inside gall material during development. After achieving maturity, the new insects vacate. Cecidia also have a long history of being harvested for ink or tanning.
My home my home this tree of wasps
Smoothest bark flown dark with flocks
Sting my skin and start to burrow
Swell and sore impart by furrow
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