Willow Cone Gall

That is so interesting..love that cone! Will be interested to see what you find out...wonder if it has seed in it...also wonder if they only come out after a burn...

I'm wishing I had collected it, seemed old enough seed would be long gone. We have a wax myrtle that does this though doesn't seem to get this size and usually has cones in a clump. I'll keep searching. :-)

good..my ears are waiting to hear! :) or maybe my eyes are waiting to read?

OMG! Craziest discovery ever! Here's an excerpt.

When I noticed these “pine cones” on shrubs at the edge of a wetland area, I was confused. Unlike the goldenrod galls, which stand out as deformities on the plant stem, these pine cones look very much like a part of the plant itself. However, these pine cones are on willow stems and are actually the galls of the tiny Pine Cone Willow Gall Midge (Rhabdophaga strobiloides). The female lays eggs at the tip of the willow stem and the larva burrows into the tip, resulting in a gall at the end of the twig. The gall is used by other insects as well as the midge larva.

Isn't that amazing! The larvae stimulate the plant to build this little house for them to grow up in. It is also a nice feeding ground for the winter birds. How amazing is this!

WoW! that is amazing!..so I wonder..once it has grown..does it stay as a part of the tree then, for the rest of it's life? Very interesting GT...Love this info...

My mind did not expect this. :-) I think it just wears away, or as I found often the case, pulled apart by birds hunting to eat the midge larvae. :-)

Nature is so wonderful!..It never ceases to amaze me.. lol...oh what fun !