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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

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  • $\begingroup$ 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, 2015 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, 2015 at 16:29
  • $\begingroup$ Looks like a gall such as an oak gall. $\endgroup$
    – augurar
    Nov 29, 2015 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, 2015 at 5:13

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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

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  • $\begingroup$ 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, 2016 at 14:10

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