Have you ever wondered what a bright red berry-like sphere is doing in the middle of a willow leaf? This curiosity is a gall induced by the Willow Redgall Sawfly. To a gardener, the galls might be disturbing, but to the bugwatcher they are fascinating. And for the willow tree itself? , The gall is of little concern and does not damage the willow in any significant way.
The Willow Redgall Sawfly adult is a small yellowish wasp-like insect. The female uses her saw-like ovipositor to insert her eggs into the expanding leaves of willows. The developing leaves and larva interact to form the characteristic red gall. When the larva is mature it drops from the gall and pupates a cocoon in debris in the ground.
There are a number of similar sawflies that make galls in willows. Willows are also hosts for other gall-making insects such as the Willow Pinecone Gall maker, which is caused by a tiny fly.
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