Gall Week October 2-10, 2020

After spider week, Cal Coast week, and taco day, it is time for Gall Week! Let's start a new tradition, documenting galls on the first week of October.
https://inaturalist.ca/projects/gall-week-2021-9e58d299-60ec-4b10-af61-11ec0ab46974

We can see organisms shifting strategies as the days shorten and the temperatures drop. Many birds are moving steadily south. Amphibians are burying themselves in the mud. Plants are shifting into dormancy. Here's a new thing to try on your wanders out in nature.

Galls are plant deformities caused by other organisms. The plant host responds to chemical secretions from the organism to build uniquely shaped structures that always benefit the gall inducer and sometimes also benefit the host.

Gall inducers can frequently be identified just by the shape and placement of the gall and the identity of the plant hosting the gall. Gall inducers specialize in specific groups of plants or sometimes even a single species. Observers can use the 'Host Plant ID' observation field to add their identification of the plant host to their observation of the gall.

Many gall structure are quite small so you will need to get up close and personal to find them. Collect images of the general location and appearance of the plant deformity and then zoom in to show the specific shape and texture of the tiny structure. A single tree may have multiple different galls on its leaves and branches. Its neighbour may have still other species to find. Soon you will know where to look for species in our area and recognizing when you have discovered something new and exciting.

Gall-related projects generally are made as traditional projects so after you join them you will still have to add your gall observations manually. If you want to start observing galls immediately, you can add your gall observations to Galls of North America

Gall Week October 2-10, 2020

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