I first thought some sort of bug had laid it's eggs on some of these leaves and the larvae was growing, but now I'm not so sure cuz when I open up the bumps there's no sign of a bug inside. I never have ID's this "tree" - been trying to for years! Any ideas?
Not a great pic of underneath - most of the bumps do have a curve to them...
Here's a pic of the whole tree - ...with clematis entwined!
One more bump picture...
It's hard to tell from the pictures, but this looks like a leaf gall of some kind to me. Many different kinds of insects cause galls. Most leaf galls don't really harm the tree, even if they are somewhat asthetically displeasing. Some trees are especially prone to galls. Oak trees, for example, could have one or two or more of dozens of types of galls.
Tam,
That may be the beginning of what will be a bloom (or fruit). Can't tell for sure from the pictures and, like you, I can't identify the tree but it looks very much like the same thing that caught my eye about week ago. A tree on our property was covered in these things - looked a little like worms standing on end on top and back of each leaf. Thought it was a gall at first, but realized they were on every leaf and in the exact same spot. Watch and see if they turn into pretty, pale yellow, fuzzy, caterpiller-like blooms. Again, can't id the tree and don't know if ours are blooms or fruit - but they sure are pretty! Will try to post a photo for you. Let me know if yours do the same.
Debra
Ok, Tam.....DISREGARD EVERYTHING I JUST SAID! Went out to photo the "pretty fuzzy things" and discovered the tree on our property is covered with many more "worm like" things and are turning into brown gall-like things. The pretty fuzzy things were on a different tree - obviously a different type of tree, too! Dumb-da-dum-dum......
Don't listen to me. Stick to someone who knows what they are talking about - like Night_Bloom. Took photos of the worm things, but I'm having trouble loading them. Will add later. By the way, your Clematis is beautiful!
Debra
fleur - those are galls too. All kinds of galls, doing all kinds of things.
Here is a good site for galls on oaks. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note05/note05.html
This year I saw for the first time in my life (and that's pretty long) a wool sower gall. Gorgeous at first. I thought it was a flower. A very odd flower. Could this have been yours, fleur? http://www.forestryimages.org/images/768x512/2109024.jpg
ROFLMAO!!! Oh, Fleur - how funny!! I can just picture you going out to take pics and SURPRISE!!!! DO post those pictures, I can't wait to see!! Ceejay, thanks for the site, velly intellesting how the insects actually force the plant to change. And wow, that one gall was amazing - I can see how one would think it was a flower or a fruit (at first!). I'm almost hoping I miss a leaf and it does something wild like the wool sower! I'll keep picking the leaves off with galls, tho, and hope for the best!! Thanks!!! :)
Fleurs, TamTam and ceejaytown - I posted a picture of a wool sower gall and the wasps that make them over on my Friend or Foe thread.
And ceejaytown is correct - there are all sorts of galls that do all sorts of things, especially on oak trees. They can be on the leaves, on leaf buds, or on the twigs. They can be made by wasps, flies, or homopterans (aphid relatives). And they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Many species make unique galls, so the species can be identified by the type of gall.
Someone recently brought me some bull's eye galls on maple leaves - I took pictures of course, because they were cool. Sometime soon when I figure out where I put them on my computer, I'll add those to the Friend or Foe thread too.
