Live Oak Acorns that did not make it - I was WRONG!

[Pizzazz]

Howdy Gang

OK. I was wrong on my last post. I made a horrific mistake.

The Live Oak tree from which I gathered my specimens does not
produce acorns! Can you believe it?

So, the previous post said the subjects were not Oak Galls, but look at
this image. You can clearly see an exit hole and a spider web inside.

I feel like a chum!

Well it makes for interesting reading!

You can REALLY call me crazy!

The white specs are pollen, so that gives you an idea as to the size.

Mike

[Macrero]

So I was also wrong thinking you're right Interesting, nice stack, I have no idea what it is, though.

- Macrero

[Troels]

From first look I felt it looked like a plant gall. Looking at the last picture I am certainly sure.

A gall is a structure created by a host plant as response to an egg from a gall insect placed in a shoot, a budd, a leaf or a stem. Growth hormones from the egg (or perhaps from the mother?) interfere with the plant's normal growth pattern an force the plant to create a ball, a bulb, a tuft or something else looking different from the normal plant.

The egg Inside the gall hatches and the larvae can immediately start eating the gall from the inside, well protected against enemies - well almost.

Galls can be produced by wasps, flies, mosquitoes, mites and other small invertebrates. Each species og gall forming insect has its specific host plant and create galls of a specific form.

Troels