Custom-Built Homes

By The Old Scot

Do you remember wishing you could wave a magic wand and make something wonderful happen? Of course, we know that there are no magic wands, but quite a number of small insects command a power almost as good. They are able to make plants grow houses for their families, and also stock those houses with nourishing food.

We call these well-stocked habitations “galls.” Galls are abnormal growths, found predominantly on oak and hickory trees, but also on other types of trees and woody plants.

A variety of different insects are responsible for galls, which come in an amazing variety of shapes and sizes. Each configuration, as you might imagine, is characteristic of the type of insect which caused it. Some are hard; some are soft and fleshy. Some are round or oblong, others resemble tops or even tiny vases. Some are smooth, some are rough, while others are covered with hair or spines. Some even look like flowers, while others could easily be mistaken for fruits or even leaves. Some galls are harvested and eaten by humans; others have been a valuable source for hundreds of years of ink and tannic acid for tanning leather.