Overgrowth

April 28, 2008 | Filed Under Nature 

Look at this effect on plant growth caused by insect penetration. All of those little spots are the result of insects drilling down into new soft plant tissue to extract nutrients. Some insects will “sting” plants to cause them to produce galls or swell larger and deform significantly. They then lay their eggs (in the injury) and the plant acts as an incubation chamber until the larvae can exit to continue their life cycle. The leaf on the right is an example of the incubation chamber created by stinging to form a blister. Seems cool and cruel at the same time.

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