A Little Note
The Photo:
Sagebrush
Medusa Gall Midge
Rhopalomyia medusa
gall: an abnormal growth on plants, often from an insect parasite like a wasp or fly whose larvae are protected within
The Thought:
Interestingly, the parasite doesn’t seem to harm the sagebrush, and is often a feast for local birds like the chickadee who peck in to eat the larvae inside the gall.
Some predatory insects plant their own eggs in other insect’s galls!
When the gall falls off, it’s full of protein so small creatures enjoy it for food — mice, birds, etc.
It’s a small ecosystem in the desert, and we just walk past, not knowing the little word existing around one sagebrush.
Resources:
- Wenatchee Naturalist: All About Sagebrush Galls
- Blog: Desert Spaces
- Forest Service: Report: Big Sagebrush
Poetry
Gall on Big Sagebrush
Is it a bud? For a flower?
No: a parasite filled with larvae
which chickadee pecks to devour!
Sheri Edwards
05.05.24 126.365.24
Poetry/Photography
#smallpoems #clmooc #poetry24 #poetry #bigsagebrush #insectgall
I wonder, if I draw a line... 