2023 November Blackland Prairie Chapter Meeting with Kimberlie Sasan | “Galls: Let’s Get Curiously Addicted!”

Kimberlie Sasan, Texas Master Naturalist – Crosstimbers Chapter (Tarrant County, Fort Worth Area)

November 14, 2023 – Tuesday, 7:00 PM – IN PERSON and ONLINE MEETING – CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Galls are fascinating structures found on a wide variety of plants. These abnormal growths are caused by a range of organisms, including insects, mites, fungi, and bacteria. Galls can vary in size, shape, and color, and can serve a range of functions for the organisms that inhabit them. This presentation will explore the diverse range of galls found in nature, from the simple bumps caused by mites to the complex structures induced by wasps. Join us to learn what galls are, how to identify the organisms that make them, and even how you could find the next undescribed species!

About our Speaker –

Kimberlie Sasan is a Texas Master Naturalist from the Fort Worth area.  She started out with a wide variety of volunteer activities, mostly bluebird nestbox monitoring and working with the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, both of which she still does today, but quickly recognized an interest in insects.  She completed the Volunteer Master Entomology Specialist class in 2018.  She enjoys mothing and traveling across Texas to iNat new flora and fauna.  (You might remember her from the Deep Dive on Mothing Identification in July.) In 2022 she described a gall new to science, Druon laceyi, and is excited to share her experience with anyone interested in nature.  Kimberlie is also an Herbarium and Research Assistant at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.