Another walk – and a twenty minute run (hurrah!) on a lovely sunshiny afternoon. I took my camera, which was a bit of a hindrance while running, but it was good to keep a record of some of the natural wonders I saw. I loved the look of these rosettes of leaves growing directly out of a larch branch – and the lichen too.
Leaf rosettes growing directly out of a larch branch.
These are galls caused by a gall wasp, Diplolepis nervosa (according to Britain’s Plant Galls by Michael Chinery), and are called either Sputnik Galls or Spiked Pea Galls. Sputnik does it for me. Aren’t they gorgeous?
Sputnik Galls, caused by the gall wasp Diplonepis nervosa
Slow and steady 
September 20, 2013 at 9:35 pm
The Sputnik galls are really lovely and strange…what are they though?
September 20, 2013 at 9:45 pm
I think it’s the plant’s own response to the gall wasp laying its eggs – maybe the eggs cause a plant growth hormone to be produced somehow (I don’t really know!) – very weird, isn’t it? And where does that amazing colour come from? I suppose the rose flowers are pink, but not really that fluorescent pink. They’re quite small – about 5 or 6 mm across.
Nature is very strange!
September 21, 2013 at 3:22 am
Whatever they, they are pretty and interesting looking. Unique is the word I wanted. Great pics and congrats on the run!
September 23, 2013 at 5:56 am
I know the `oak apples`produced by the oak gall wasp but I`d never seen that pink variation. How lovely! I always learn something from your blog. Thank you! And hey, good going on the twenty minute run!