Both T alni ss and T occidentalis have been reported in Alaska... not sure which this is.
On a small paper birch sapling. My thumbnail (bottom) is 1.5 cm long for scale.
Host: Picea mariana
Reared specimen: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/197495082
Galls found at the base of last year's growth (lateral and terminal twigs). Collected by pulling twigs away from the scales at their base.
Gall phenology not reliable as host was collected with a holiday tree permit and stored indoors for about a month.
Similar to this gall https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/diptera/nematocera/cecidomyiidae/cecidomyiinae/lasiopteridi/lasiopteridi-unplaced/piceacecis/piceacecis-abietiperda/
Gall? Or normal bud?
Same plant/area as this late summer observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/183040382
Flower bud gall? In Chamaenerion angustifolium
Flower gall?
Invasive toadflax in Alaska and a beetle that helps control its seed distribution.
Gall fly affecting fireweed buds. First time I have seen this
First photo shows hole dug
Gall on willow stem? Cc @tepary. Rabdophaga rigidae, the willow beaked-gall midge?
Found under loose bark layer
On Northern grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris)
Curled leaf on populus. Larvae inside, silk remnant.
Parasitic wasp on Dasineura gall
Gall host plant: Chamaenerion angustifolium
Larva on underside of leaf of Salix pulchra infected with Melampsora epitea rust.
Sitting on the edge of a dog dish. Property is primarily old-growth white spruce and paper birch.
Gall flower bud on bottom.
An adult fly was in a gall that I opened. Maybe that's the midge? Or unrelated to gall? Tiny. First time for me to see. See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/179099416
Collected as a larva on toklat strawberries, reared to adult.
Wet day, tired looking wasp.
Fireweed bud gall. See observations https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/174819201 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/175302199
@tepary comments "A normal bud is usually longer than it is wide. The gall is wider than it is long." Potentially genus Dasineura. @awenninger is investigating whether a further ID is possible by DNA.
The white/sometimes pinkish larvae are visible in some of the cropped images, inside the bud gall.
Host: Fireweed
Russo 2021 Fireweed Flower-Gall Midge
A note to anyone editing data quality or annotations: This specimen was alive when collected, and the data given reflect the time and place when the insect was observed alive.
Please adhere to iNat’s guidelines and do not mark this observation as “captive” or “dead”, as this causes problems for researchers attempting to find species records.
iNat's definition of a "wild" observation explicitly includes "museum/herbarium specimens that are appropriately marked with date and location of original collection". The data given are the date and location of original capture, and as such, this observation should not be marked as captive. See #5 of the observation FAQ on the forum: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/help#captive
The "dead" annotation should only be used if the organism was dead at the time of the observation. The question of insect specimen annotations has been had on the forums, and specimens which are dead in the photo but were alive at the time of capture should be annotated as "alive", not "dead". See here for discussion:
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/annotate-dead-or-alive/17537
Thanks!
Old Dyea townsite in the National Park Historic Site
On Populus tremuloides
Small weevil found on rhubarb.
Observed on a strawberry flower in a small garden. Flower is 1” across. Dominant vegetation type in neighborhood is old growth white spruce and paper birch. In the hills north of Fairbanks, Alaska, USA.
On cottonwood
Two individuals
Emerged from galls collected on 06/05/23
Host: Picea glauca
See other photos for gall
Note that normal buds have developed into fresh spruce tips.
Very small Hippodamia, ~4mm. Found in very short alpine vegetation