Friday, April 2, 2010

Gall

The creosote bush is an interesting desert plant. Lots of things going on - even down to the roots, which are so well adapted to extracting moisture from the soil that in drier places nothing else is capable of growing nearby. A tiny wasp lays eggs in a small branch and the plant grows a gall to support the larvae before they emerge.
The leaves of the gall are thin and tightly arranged compared to the surrounding leaves.

After the wasps emerge, the gall dies.

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