6
$\begingroup$

My son found this floating in a stream in Massachusetts, in the northeastern US. It was intact when he found it, but he cracked it open to see what was inside. I did some Google image searching, but couldn't find anything. Any idea what it is, and where it came from?

whole pod

insides

| improve this question | |
$\endgroup$
  • $\begingroup$ Are there any trace of a hole through which a bug could have entered? The content looks messy. Can you isolate seed ? $\endgroup$ – bli Oct 13 '15 at 15:10
  • $\begingroup$ @bli no, there weren't any holes in it. I haven't dug around in it, but I can take a look for seeds when I get home from work. $\endgroup$ – MattDMo Oct 13 '15 at 16:29
  • $\begingroup$ Looks like a gall such as an oak gall. $\endgroup$ – augurar Nov 29 '15 at 10:45
  • $\begingroup$ Looks like a gall. was it delicate and lightweight? If so I'd guess it belongs to the oak apple gall wasp $\endgroup$ – theforestecologist♦ Dec 10 '15 at 5:13
4
$\begingroup$

It's actually not a seed pod, but rather a gall (see here or here for more info about galls). Specifically, it most likely is a gall belonging to the Oak Apple Gall Wasp (Amphibolips confluenta). You can read about this species and its gall here.

enter image description here

enter image description here

| improve this answer | |
$\endgroup$
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, it was quite light for its size, and I suppose "delicate" could be used, but it was certainly difficult to cut open :) $\endgroup$ – MattDMo Jan 8 '16 at 14:10

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.