Hackleberry Nipplegall Maker

We've seen the galls on our trees for almost as long as we've lived here. We do not notice any lasting harm, so do no preventative measures since they are native to our part of the United States. As adults, they likely are food for other critters, so it all works out.

The galls are very hard, so for years I did not know what lived within these. It could have been a fungus for all I knew. One day last summer, a child and I were curious, so finally broke one open and out crawled a strange looking insect. I was surprised to find it mobile. I am not sure what it did after we let it go since it normally is hidden from sight until the adult stage, a small moth.