Concrete Answers

There are so many questions in life that have no answers and we all just do the best we can with the information we have.  So when we actually get a concrete answer to a question it's quite rewarding. 

Margaret, a blog reader, contacted me with an answer to my question about the "little gem" I posted about yesterday. I told her I wasn't sure if the answer was kind of creepy....or just plain cool. I'll let you decide.

Turns out what I thought was a seed pod is actually an Oak Gall....sometimes called an Oak Apple. They develop on an oak leaf when a gall wasp lays an egg on a developing leaf bud. The larvae feeds off the tree and secretes stuff that facilitates the tree to form the gall around the larvae.  The gall protects the tree and the larvae until they morph into adults.  

So what do you think?  Creepy or cool?

And of course there's a youtube video for any of you nature nerds out there. Full disclosure....I watched several of them.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnHNGHSsVAA

But my favorite part of this story is I found out I met Margaret when we took a workshop together from my dear friend Muffy....and she's been a blog follower ever since.  That connection, along with her answer to my question made my day.

Another follow up on yesterday's second gem:

The first photo was about 7:30 this morning.....

....and the second was about 11:00.

This beautiful white rain lily bloom also made my day.....hopefully there will be more to come for this nature nerd.  These bulbs came from my dear friend Becky!