A perennial question

Every year, in November, alarmed customers call or come in with the same problem. We hear “Something is wrong with my tree! It has fuzzy balls growing on the leaves” or “My tree has a disease, help!” or even “It’s dying, should I cut it down?”. Calm down, breath…this is not a problem. The fact is, galls happen and by the time you see the problem, it’s too late to do anything about it. Plus, under most circumstances you shouldn’t bother. They occur everywhere. I found articles from every state and they all said the same thing. Don’t waste your time trying to treat them.

Natures freakish thing

I look at them as an interesting oddity of nature and equate them to a sort of allergic reaction by the plant. They are all very different and I am always amazed at how they are shaped…some are very cool to look at! What is the purpose to all those weird shapes and textures, what was nature doing? How did these strange things evolve? We understand why predators have eyes on the front of their head and why mammals have fur. Why do galls seem like they are from outer space. Google “galls” and check out the many weird and bizarre forms. Read more about galls at these web sites, and quit worrying!

https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/e-397.cfm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall_wasp

https://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/ygnews/2010/09/woolly-oak-gall.html

https://www4.uwm.edu/fieldstation/naturalhistory/bugoftheweek/galls2.cfm