What is this.....fungus on a white oak???

[Intheswamp]

I planted four white oaks along the back of the yard about 15-16 years ago. A few years one of them died, leaving three. I found this on one of them yesterday. It's pretty but something tells me to get rid of it. Anybody got an idea what it is?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[Adabiviak]

I believe that's a gall, probably from some local variety of wasp.

Shouldn't kill the tree though?

 

[Intheswamp]

I believe that's a gall, probably from some local variety of wasp.

Shouldn't kill the tree though?

Well, if it's a gall I'll leave it be. I wasn't sure what it was, though I'd seen them before...I added the info about one of the trees died in case it was something bad. Thanks for the information.

Ed

 

[quads]

Yes, it's definitely a gall/wasp. It will turn brown after awhile and will not harm the tree.

 

[Wood Duck]

Galls are supposed to be fairly harmless unless you get tons of them. You can prune them off, but I think the pruning would be about as damaging as the gall.

 

[billb3]

We get those here another one that looks just like it ( might be the same one further in the season) that the tree covers with a green leafy growth. Also little spangle galls that look like the leaves broke out with zits.

Just a little wasp / bug.
Caterpillars usually cause more stress to a tree if there are enough of them. I'll spray and kill caterpillars any any oak transplant for at least 5 years until the roots have recovered and the young tree establishes itself. Oak apples I ignore .

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yup. Those things are all over the oaks.