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Pine cone willow gall
Rhabdophaga strobiloides
43.0904, -79.0861
Field Notes
Description:
“Pine-cone willow gall” is caused by a gall midge, Rhabdophaga strobiloides. This dipteran (related to flies and mosquitoes) deposits an egg in the developing terminal leaf buds of the willow in early spring. The larva releases a chemical which interferes with the typical leaf and branch development of the willow, instead causing the formation of this cone-like structure. The adult dipteran emerges the following spring, after having spent the winter in the gall.
Habitat:
temperate forest, urban edge
Notes:
I spotted this in Allens sand pit on the edge of town. This was last year's gall.
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