1st insects have emerged (6952270957)

Description:

Description:..from this gall on a seep willow at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in NV. Photo: USFWS A refuge staffer tells more about this March 1, 2012 photo: A female insect will lay her eggs on the branches, which causes a chemical reaction that interferes with the growth of the plant stem and a gall is created. The eggs stay in this protective chamber all winter, until spring when they develop into larvae, chew their way out, then fall to the ground and transform into an adult. This is a great photo of the gall and the exit hole where the larvae chewed its way out. The gall doesn't harm the plant. Date: 3 March 2012, 23:42. Source: 1st insects have emerged. Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters.