Out of The Ordinary

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Robin’s Pincushion (Diplolepis rosae) – Also called the Bedeguar Gall, this strange but beautiful, almost alien, fibrous growth is caused by the larvae of a tiny wasp. It is found on the stems of wild roses, and each of these can contain many grubs which feed on the plant tissues inside a woody heart filled with chambers, but apparently do the plant no serious harm.

I am fascinated by plant galls, which often go unnoticed, and how organisms like wasps, flies, mites and even fungi, can transform living tissue into these abnormal, often bizzare forms.

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Double-click image for a closer look.

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