Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
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Monday - May 25, 2015
From: Kingsland, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Pests, Trees
Title: Falling Balls from an Oak in Kingsland TX
Answered by: Larry Larson
QUESTION:
I have a large Live Oak in the back yard, with St. Augustine grass under it. It is April 3, 2015. The leaves have fallen and now little tiny round balls are falling. I am hearing a popping noise under the tree all over the grass. Is this the Live Oak doing this?ANSWER:
There have been a few Mr Smarty Plants question/answer pairs that sound a bit like this question, it sounds like your balls could either be flowers, immature acorns or oak galls depending on size and shape. Heres some discussions to consider:
Acorns:
Abundance of acorns from Wimberley TX:
The first picture below is labeled "Flower Buds"
Galls:
Identity of small objects that look like tiny pecans:
Small tan balls on oak from Pipe Creek TX
Leaf Galls on Live Oak
A couple of these answers included the excellent suggestion to contact the local extension office. As you’re in-between, here are the web addresses for both the Burnett County Extension Office and the Llano County Extension Office. While at it, I also found that Prairie View A&M Cooperative Extension Program has an online article on Round Balls on Live Oaks, this indicates it might be caused by a small wasp.
From the Image Gallery
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