Photo: Oak leaf with gall, Judy Gallagher
Judy Gallagher is an ASNV board member and a regular surveyor of local wildlife who also captures photos of what she sees, in particular the less common species. Here are some observations from her most recent survey.
It's challenging to find an outdoor insect or spider in mid-February. But that's what I set out to do on February 17, a mild overcast day. I didn't find many live insects, but there were a number of signs that insects and spiders had been around.
American Holly leaf with leaf miner fly larva pattern, Judy Gallagher
The pattern on this American Holly leaf was made by the larva of a leaf miner fly, Phytomyza opacae. Leaf miner fly larvae live between the two epidermal layers of a leaf and feed on the tissue in between. The pattern here shows the path the larva took as it munched.
That's not the only leaf miner fly that feeds on Holly. Here's a leaf mine made by another fly larva, Phytomyza ililicola. Each species has a distinct leaf mine and most fly species only feed on one plant species.
American Holly leaf with leaf miner fly larva pattern, Judy Gallagher
Some fallen oak leaves had galls. A gall is a plant deformity that is caused by another organism such as an insect, mite, fungus, bacteria, etc. The organism stimulates the plant tissue to modify its growth and also to grow to produce more nutrients for the invading organism. The gall is both a shelter and a food source for the developing larva. Galls don't usually cause much damage to the plant because the damage is confined to a relatively small space. As with leaf miners, most gall-producing organisms have one plant species with which they are associated. Here's a leaf that has two different types of galls made by tiny wasps. The little dark flecks are made by Gall Wasp Neuroterus tantalus larvae. The larva jumps out of the leaf in mid-summer and spends the rest of its time in leaf litter before emerging as an adult. The red fuzzy thing is a gall made by Gall Wasp Andricus quercusflocci. This larva overwinters in the leaf and emerges sometime in the spring as an adult
Oak leaf with gall, Judy Gallagher
While I was scrabbling around in the leaf litter, I noticed a Basilica Spider egg sac. It's actually a series of egg masses. Each round object is one mass, and all are cushioned from the elements by extensive spider silk webbing. Six to ten juvenile spiders will emerge from each egg mass in the spring.
Basilica Spider egg sac, Judy Gallagher
While I was looking at more Holly leaf mines, I finally found a live insect, a Broad-headed Sharpshooter. I see these Leafhoppers fairly often on warm days in the winter, and because it's still relatively cold, they stay still enough for me to get a picture. I also see them in the summer but they usually escape before I can focus my camera.
Broad-headed Sharpshooter, Judy Gallagher
There's a lot to see in the winter if you look closely. Happy hunting!
View all of Judy’s Observations from Meadowood articles here.