It was on a tree

Critiques [Translate]

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• mbasil (3304)
• [2007-08-03 20:18]

Kind of ugly and kid of attractive at the same time. Nicely captured. As for the ID, Janice (lovenature) is your best source.
Mike

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• eqshannon (27823)
• [2007-08-04 7:09]
• [+]

It must be a way of pollination through expanding and splitting. It certainly is at a particular stage and past....more than likely due to seasonal change. If you ever figure out what it is..please tell me. It almost appears alien. At least it is alien to me, but certainly a picture worth study because it is done so well.

Bob

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• Robbrown (6062)
• [2007-08-04 23:50]

Hello Christian , intresting image, not a distorted flower but a leaf that has been attacked by a type of Gall wasp, the adult lays an egg or eggs in the surface of the leaf in this case though it could be the flower or leaf bud or even stems. the egg releases chemicals which cause the plant to produce abnormal growth / swellings which form a container for the wasp larvae to develope in. each wasp species usually has a very specific host plant and also causes a very distinctive type of gall or leaf distortion so if you know the type of plant it is usually easy to name the wasp responsable. Unfortunatly I do not recognise the shrub from the small amount of normal plant in your picture. The splitting doown the middle is caused by the uneven growth of the leaf tearing it apart.
Also there are some moulds which can have the same efet but there are not as many of them, again knowing the plant is key to iddentiefying it.
Hope this is of some use. TFS Robert

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• Silke (5406)
• [2007-08-05 13:12]

A most interesting subject indeed, Chirstan!
I agree with Rob: it does look like a wasp gall, though I have no idea of the species.
Superb details and colours and an attractive composition
TFS
silke

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• arfer (0)
• [2007-08-05 20:48]

Hello Christan

Interesting pod

The red of the pod against the green makes an interesting visual impact.The shot is well focused with very good detail.It would be interesting to see what is inside that pod or what emerges from it.TFS

Rob


Rob

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• oscarromulus (5646)
• [2007-08-08 18:38]

Christan,
This, my friend, is a wasp's nest.
I shall be posting one as large as a soccer ball, very soon.
Great photography work.
TFS.
Mario from Calgary.