although they're a fairly generic if slightly spikier brown Andricus orb later in life, Andricus quercustozae galls start out as swollen green buds that quickly turn into these pleasant little cartoon suns. they also attract lots of parasitoids for bonus critter sightings, but you need to be careful when photographing those up close - not because they're easily scared, but because the galls are real icky sticky at this stage
(September 13th, 2025)










