April 21, 2022: Answer 4

Dear Neil: What are the variegated red and tan gumball-looking things that are falling from our red oak? They’re about an inch in diameter. C.S., Dallas.

Those are insect galls. There actually are many hundreds of types of galls on oaks. This particular one has been fairly common this year. The good news is that it causes no harm to the plant, nor is there anything you can do to control it anyway.

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