Identifying California Galls
One great resource is Ron Russo’s recently released (2021) Plant Galls of the Western United States.
The other resource I find extremely helpful is the website www.Gallformers.org, which as of 7/2022 included pages for over 1800 described North American galls, plus numerous undescribed ones.
Here are some other sources to consult for help identifying California galls:
Interesting Reading
Floate, Gall-inducing aphids and mites associated with the hybrid complex of cottonwoods, Populus spp. (Salicaceae) on Canada's grasslands (2010). This is helpful for ID of poplar galls in N. America, although it is written as a guide for one area in Canada. Go to this page and download chapter 13.
***Harris & Pitzschke, Plants make galls to accommodate foreigners: some are friends, most are foes Fascinating 2019 article about what constitutes a true "gall" and how gall inducers hijack plants to make galls.
Here's how insects coax plants into making galls This 3/2/2021 press release includes a link to the full article by Korgaonkar et al.
Leather, Simon, Not all aphid galls are the same (2013)
Quilliam & Shattock, Haustoria of microcyclic rust fungi . . . and other gall-forming species . . .(Plant Pathology 2003) Concludes that some but not all Puccinia and Uromyces rusts form galls [extremely difficult and technical; I would love to find a different article on this fascinating topic--Nancy]
Russo, Ron, Confessions of a Gall Hunter (Natural History magazine 2009/2010) on page 20.
Russo, Ron, Plant Galls: Desert Treasures (Fremontia magazine 2010/2011) on page 40.
Nyman & Julkunen-Tiitto, Manipulation of the phenolic chemistry of willows by gall-inducing sawflies. Research showing that gall-inducing insects can have an amazing amount of control over the chemical properties of the galls they induce.
Stone, et al., The Population Biology of Oak Gall Wasps (Annu. Rev. Entomo. 2002).
Video
Eriophid mites: The MOVIE! Spend a minute-and-a-half learning what they look like and watching one crawl a few millimeters.
If you can recommend other sources of information about galls, please share!
Comments
Thank you for all of your work in putting this together!
Thank you for the resources!
Thanks for all these great resources.
Thanks @nancyasquith!
Very comprehensive. Thank you so much for sharing @nancyasquith
Your list of 250 Calif. plant hosts with associated galls that you compiled has been SO helpful @nancyasquith. Thank you!
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-plants-with-mystery-galls/journal/39523-california-galls-a-host-plant-list-with-links#summary
Very cool, thanks @nancyasquith
Control of oak leaf itch mites from San Francisco Gate homeguides:
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-oak-leaf-gall-mites-76325.html
Thank you @nancyasquith!
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