Egg case or cocoon. Has a nifty hinged lid that opens like a laundry basket. On a button bush.
Cardinal getting territorial with itself in this mirror. It was doing the same thing last week too. It spends a not-insignificant amount of time battling itself.
the Taxon Id'd the seed pod. Very impressive, but I was trying to submit the grasshopper.
Host tree is a white oak, Quercus alba
On Quercus stellata leaf.
Possibly:
Hoplochaitophorus quercicola;
Neosymydobius albasiphus, quercihabitus;
Phylloxera rileyi;
Stegophylla davisi, quercicola, quercifoliae
http://www.aphidsonworldsplants.info/C_HOSTS_Qua_Rey.htm
This is the unidentified/undescribed woolly Post Oak gall that I have seen and collected for rearing over the last few weeks. This observation will serve as my "field notes" on this species and the "type" observation, if such a thing can be.
Observations based on a collection of about 30 leaves at this location. (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65443224)
Host Plant: Post Oak, Quercus stellata
A narrow dome-shaped gall firmly attached to the lower leaf surface on midrib; wool easily detaches leaving the cells "naked" on the leaves; wool pale to brownish yellow, but can also be reddish although not fully so. (Not as dark rufous/russet like Andricus pattoni.) No sign of gall on the upper leaf surface, but the attachment point on the midrib leaves a scar when galls are forcibly detached. (Not sure if this is evident if they naturally come off.) Some cells have a noticeably bumpy texture. Most commonly seen in groups of 2 that cannot be distinguished as separate galls unless wool is removed. Observed individuals and groups up to 5, most frequently in a row but occasionally bunched or clumped. The shape of the cells can be irregular when several appear together in a group.
Wasps have started emerging (in N Tex) by mid-Nov. (Since this gall stays attached to to the leaf instead of detaching and falling to the ground, I do not think they exit in larval form.)
I took some measurements for a previous observation that I am copying here for reference. Measured with wool attached as would be seen on the leaf untouched.
Average width: 3.9mm (compared to 13.7mm for A. pattoni)
Min-Max width: 1.8mm - 6.0mm
Median width: 3.9mm
I am dubbing this the Woolly Gumdrop Gall and setting up a Similar Observation Set ("postoak_gumdrop") to collect like observations until an ID can be made. Update: ID resolved, SOS removed.
Found on Silverleaf Nightshade.
This was an extremely weird find. There were tons of baby blue dots that looked like little eggs but seem to be a fungus. What was also weird is that it covered every plant in this exact line as seen in the third picture. There was nothing else like it around it. When rubbed it created a black dust as seen in the second picture.