Plant Galls for the Curious Naturalist
Galls are intriguing plant structures induced by insects (usually), creating a sheltered home for the larval stages of the inducing organism. They have diverse and sometimes incredible shapes and colors, and their natural history is equally fascinating, with complex life cycles, tiny parasites, and more! This event is scheduled in the middle of Gall Week 2022 - a global event aiming to document gall diversity worldwide.
During the webinar, Michael Hawk (Nature's Archive podcast and Jumpstart Nature) and Dr. Merav Vonshak (BioBlitz Club) talked about gall biology, common host plants and gall inducers. They discussed how you can find and identify galls, with numerous examples including gall look-alikes.
This webinar is intended for beginners looking to better understand and learn how to find galls, as well as gall enthusiasts who are already exposed to the diverse world of galls, and would like to learn more. Even though the webinar includes many West Coast species, principles and approaches apply to most locations!
Keep CoyoteCreek Beautiful hosted a webinar featuring Merav Vonshak with BioBlitz Club and Michael Hawk with Jumpstart Nature.
Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful: keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org
BioBlitz Club: BioBlitz.club
Jumpstart Nature: https://jumpstartnature.com
Nature's Archive: podcast.naturesarchive.com
Recorded September 7, 2022
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Resources
Relevant Nature's Archive Podcast Episodes
* Podcast interview with Merav Vonshak, covering BioBlitzes and a bit of galls:
https://podcast.naturesarchive.com/2020/10/28/merav/
* Podcast interview with Merav Vonshak talking about Gall Week 2021 Podcast:
https://podcast.naturesarchive.com/2021/09/29/gallweek2021/
* Podcast interview with Adam Kranz of Gallformers.org:
https://podcast.naturesarchive.com/2021/09/14/galls/
BioBlitz.club
BioBlitz.club resources
* Gall pamphlets, upcoming events
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More resources
The Russo Western USA Gall Book:
https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691205762/plant-galls-of-the-western-united-states
A really fun 3 minute "Deep Look" video on galls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOgP5NzcTuA
USA/Canada gall research and identification.
gallformers.org
Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates: A Guide to North American Species, Eiseman & Charney, 2010
https://www.powells.com/book/tracks-sign-of-insects-other-invertebrates-a-guide-to-north-american-species-9780811736244?partnerid=32527
Another great book, with some galls, and plenty of other things
California Indians and Their Environment by Kent Lightfoot and Otis Parrish, UC Press c. 2009
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520256903/california-indians-and-their-environment
Photographer Joyce Gross, UC Berkeley,
https://joycegross.com/index.php, many gall photos https://joycegross.com/galls_ca_oak.php
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iNaturalist Gall Projects:
* Gall Week 2022 iNaturalist Project:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/gall-week-2022
* Galls of California iNaturalist project
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/galls-of-california
* Galls of North America iNaturalist project
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/galls-of-north-america
NOTE: Don’t forget to document and note the host plant, even if you can’t identify it.
The Iron Gall Ink Website
Make your own gall ink
irongallink.org