ATLANTA, Tx. (WFLA) —A mysterious puffy, pink polka-dotted plant was spotted by Texas park rangers on Tuesday and it looks like a prop straight out of a Dr. Seuss book.
“Is it a natural lollipop? Is it a flower designed by Dr. Seuss?” the Atlanta State Park asked in a Facebook post, which has been shared nearly 2,000 times.
“It’s Hooville!” one user responded.
“The Lorax!” said another commenter.
But despite the uncanny resemblance, the seed pod is actually a wool sower gall (sometimes called the oak seed gall).
Galls are unusual growths on plants caused by organisms such as insects, fungi or bacteria.
“These are created when a wool sower wasp lays its eggs in a white oak,” the park said.
“When the eggs hatch in spring, chemicals on the grubs stimulate the plant to produce this gall, which provides food and protection for the growing wasps,” said the park.
Wool sower galls typically pop up in late May or June, but they’re expected to appear early this year due to a mild winter.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:
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