October Oddities

Vine Maple

Around here October is generally an enjoyable transition month. If you are a kid, it means pumpkin patch visits, corn mazes, and probably loads of candy. For us adults it's pumpkin spice lattes and colorful trees and leaves. The weather can be nasty or nice, so you don't get stuck in a climate rut!

In most years, late October is also when our fall leaf color makes its best showing here in the lowlands. The native Oregon Ash, Big Leaf Maples, and Vine Maples put on a good show as well as numerous non-native horticultural plantings in yards and parks.

Big Leaf Maple at left and
Oregon Ash at right.

Although we won't spot any wildflowers after this month, there are many curious organic things of interest. In this post we'll cover just a couple: the familiar tree "conks" and the not so familiar Robin's Pincushion.

Robin's Pincushion (Diplolepis rosae)

You've probably noticed that many of our local non-woodland nature trails have quite a few wild rose bushes growing in exposed areas. These plants are extremely hardy and produce ample flowers and seed fruits (hips) to ensure propagation. The fruits are very colorful and in particular the Dog Rose hips are bright red.

On a recent walk we noticed what appeared to be a ball of moss on one of the rose branches. Oddly though, it was not the right color for moss. About the size of a golf ball, this curious mass piqued our interest. After researching it a bit back at home, we learned this was a Robin's Pincushion Gall, also called a Moss Gall.

   

It is created when a particular female gall wasp lays up to 60 eggs into a wild rose leaf bud. About a week later the eggs hatch and the wasp larvae begin to eat the leaf. This action stimulates the growth of extra mutated leaf cells that form the hairy ball that looks like the moss. The larvae stops growing around the end of October and becomes pre-pupal for the winter. In May the adults emerge from the gall.

Shelf Fungus, a.k.a Bracket Fungus 

Anyone who has walked or hiked around just about any forest in western Oregon has seen Shelf Fungus. This is because it thrives on dead or dying tree trunks or stumps.  The name actually encompasses a large group of fungi called polypores, common throughout the world. The familiar portion of the fungus that is visible on the outside of the bark is known as a conk. The Artist's Bracket (Ganoderma applanatum) fungus is a common Bracket Fungus in our area - you can typically see dozens on a modest forest hike.

The larger ones resemble a dinner plate cut in half and stuck onto a tree. The top portion is light to dark brown, while the bottom is slightly yellow or white. Some have thin, colorful lines near the outer edges, making a striking display and fun to photograph.

In the photos here you can see the subtle colors and fascinating structure of these odd fungi. They are woody with a tough leather-like surface. The smooth undersurface has been used as a canvas of sorts for artists who carve or draw designs on them after removal - hence the name artist's bracket.

     

     

Bug's eye view. Twelve inches wide!

Cone shaped conk - also about 12 in. wide.

Close up view of the above conk.

These polypore fungi can contribute to the death of a tree as well as grow and obtain nutrients from dead trees or fallen, decomposing trunks and branches. They are usually considered part of a healthy, diverse forest because they are basically organic recyclers. In Europe they are used as indicator species in some old-growth forests. A declining population of polypores would indicate an unhealthy forest over time. 

Shelf fungus can be found all year in most of our heavily treed forests. However, in Fall they tend to be easier to spot as the surrounding plants loose their leaves. So keep your eyes peeled on your next outing and you might get "conked."