“Dried and powdered, the gall was used as to cure colic,[6] as a diuretic, and as a remedy against toothache; the ashes mixed with honey and applied to the scalp were thought to prevent baldness”
Aha.
Had not realized that these galls are caused by the bedeguar gall wasp laying eggs in a dog rose bud. The larvae winter over in the gall and emerge from May through fall. The wasp has the plant provide home and food for it’s larvae. Interesting. The medicinal
Thank you for finding these pictures. The parasite relationship between insect and plant is unusual. The bedeguar gall wasp lays it’s eggs on the dog rose bud, and the gall produced protects the larvae and feeds them. The more the larvae eat, the more the plant produces food in the gall. Perfect for the wasp, not so good for the rose. But the wasp suffers from a bacteria leading nearly all the larvae to become female. Fortunately the females eggs are fertile without males help, or there would be none of these gall wasps. Never realized that your photo would lead me down this path. Thank you.
Not only talking in code, but they are quite prickly as well, so it is not good to get close to them.
Diplolepis rosae – you have them, too? I am not sure if they exist everywhere in the world.
“Dried and powdered, the gall was used as to cure colic,[6] as a diuretic, and as a remedy against toothache; the ashes mixed with honey and applied to the scalp were thought to prevent baldness”
Aha.
In the rose family, both beautiful and useful. Sounds like a whole medicine chest of cures. Also not bad at producing an interesting photograph.
Had not realized that these galls are caused by the bedeguar gall wasp laying eggs in a dog rose bud. The larvae winter over in the gall and emerge from May through fall. The wasp has the plant provide home and food for it’s larvae. Interesting. The medicinal
I remembered having seen some very impressive photos, and … I found them:
http://www.kuriositas.com/2011/12/abnormal-gruesome-gall-alien-invader-in.html
Thank you for finding these pictures. The parasite relationship between insect and plant is unusual. The bedeguar gall wasp lays it’s eggs on the dog rose bud, and the gall produced protects the larvae and feeds them. The more the larvae eat, the more the plant produces food in the gall. Perfect for the wasp, not so good for the rose. But the wasp suffers from a bacteria leading nearly all the larvae to become female. Fortunately the females eggs are fertile without males help, or there would be none of these gall wasps. Never realized that your photo would lead me down this path. Thank you.
Does this mean that Spring has come to Mainz?
77 °F :-D
Woo-hoo!