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Mutant acorns
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Hairyloon



Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
PostPosted: Wed Sep 01, 10 9:42 pm    Post subject: Mutant acorns Reply with quote
    

Took a walk today and noticed that many of the oaks had very strangely shaped acorns: weird knobbly things that didn't look like acorns at all.

I'll try and post a picture later.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon
PostPosted: Wed Sep 01, 10 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Some kind of gall?

Hairyloon



Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
PostPosted: Wed Sep 01, 10 9:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Jamanda wrote:
Some kind of gall?

I have seen nothing like it before... and I used to be a big fan of Asterix.

vegplot



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd
PostPosted: Wed Sep 01, 10 10:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    


Duckhead



Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy
PostPosted: Wed Sep 01, 10 10:34 pm    Post subject: Re: Mutant acorns Reply with quote
    

Hairyloon wrote:
Took a walk today and noticed that many of the oaks had very strangely shaped acorns: weird knobbly things that didn't look like acorns at all.

How strange, I am looking forward to seeing the pics.

Hairyloon



Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
PostPosted: Thu Sep 02, 10 2:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    


Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Thu Sep 02, 10 6:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Andricus quercuscalicis according to Wiki, I call them Knopper galls. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andricus_quercuscalicis

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales
PostPosted: Thu Sep 02, 10 7:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

yep, knopper galls. Some years they are everywhere, then they seem to go away completely in some areas and you don't see them for ages.

Hairyloon



Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
PostPosted: Thu Sep 02, 10 8:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Well I am gaulled to be shown up as ignorant.

gil
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Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

PostPosted: Thu Sep 02, 10 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I've never seen anything like that before on an oak, just the round brown woody galls.

Urbane Forager



Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 14 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Hi
I'm from Southampton UK and there are virtually no normal acorns this year.
All are mutated galls. ;-(

stumbling goat



Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1990

PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 15 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Apparently due to a parasitic wasp laying eggs in the acorn. Learned from Canal Journeys featuring Prunella Scales and Timothy West on 24 June.

Wonderful, and poignant watching if you did not see it.

sg

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Jun 25, 15 6:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Have seen those galls before. Haven't really had a look in the woods as most of the acorns are high up, but will see what we have. We are not too far from you UF, so will see how local it is to you. In Devon last week all the acorns I saw looked all right.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales
PostPosted: Thu Jun 25, 15 8:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

its an amazing year for oak apples too, not the small marble galls that are locally very common (the wasp has a very small range), but the big spongy version. Never seen so many. At least I'll be ok for ink making materials this year!

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Thu Jun 25, 15 9:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

quite a lot round here this year,once the wasps have left the building i will be collecting for tanning skins as they are far better than bark.

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