We had a delightful picnic the other day at Watkins Mill State Park, in the deep, cool woods. This has been an amazing spring...if it were like this every year we would be crowded with people wanting to move here!
After we ate, Joseph read and I sketched...I'd put brown ink in the cartridge of my little Carbon pen, and loved it for its ultra fine nib. It let me really zero in on the leaf and the strange, colorful bits with their star-like opening--fungus, gall, insect nest? You tell me!
They reminded me of miniature Earth Star mushrooms...
The brown ink makes this especially lovely.
ReplyDeleteHow facinating! I love your drawing .... but I also don't know what they are.
ReplyDeleteThank you both...I'm reasonably sure it's an insect gall...
ReplyDeleteLove your leaf study, Kate. I don't know what the gall/fungus is but it makes an interesting splash of color doesn't it? We do the sketching/reading combo too and both enjoy it so much.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about that being an insect gall Kate. And it does make your lovely drawing that much more interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe brown ink and fine nib are perfect for your drawing, which is lovely! It sure looks like a gall that has been vacated. Around here the larvae leave the galls with just a small, boring hole. I love the spectacular way that your little critter opened up it's fortress! If you know what kind of tree that is, it might be easy to find out who made the gall.
ReplyDeletekate....the missouri conservation magazine (a month or two back) had a mention ,in the ombudsman section, of a potter wasp "gall"that reminds me of what you've sketched here. http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2012/05/miscellany...here's the descriptive article at least. interesting critter...and great sketch btw.!!!
ReplyDelete