Jumping Oak Galls

I know sometimes I give you way more useless information than you really need or want, but golly, I've just got to show you these things. Every year about this time, millions of these little seed-like things fall down from the oak trees. But they're not seeds, because we all know the seed of the oak tree is an acorn. They cover the patio and make a crunching sound when you step on them. And here's the creepy part; if you sit still you can actually hear them hopping. Why? Because there's a little animal in them! I know you're just dying to know what the creature is, so here you are: it's the larva of Neuroterus saltatorius, a tiny wasp, or the Jumping Oak Gall. Amazingly, those tiny creatures flop around inside there enough to make the galls jump 1/2" off the ground! They jump day and night until they eventually end up in low spots; street gutters, joints in the patio and driveway, and cracks in the soil. But they never entirely disappear; we sweep up millions of them every year.

We have lots of galls here; the common apple gall,

some red Hershey kiss galls,
and some pretty pink turban galls,
but the jumping galls are the most annoying because of their sheer numbers. And the fact that they fall in the middle of summer. In your hair. In your sweet tea. In your dinner. Uck. Oh well, I guess that's just life Amongst The Oaks.

If you want to find out more you can check this site. Or you could just go back to your regularly scheduled programming. Sorry.