Favoritos de lappelbaum

Digital scan from my color slide. Ordway Preserve (= Ordway-Swisher Biological Station), near Smith Lake, Putnam Co., Florida. 9 Mar 1985.

Amelanistic specimen. Reported in: Stuart, J.N. and C.K. Dodd, Jr. 1985. Life History Notes: Cemophora coccinea copei. Coloration. Herpetological Review 16:78.

Gall Description:
This gall is often so abundant that almost every leaf of the tree bears at least from five to seventy-five or more individuals, and sometimes nearly all the leaves are studded with them. The gall when ripe is fleshy, but still solid, and when dry it is very hard and woody. Inside there are several cells inhabited by bright orange-red larvæ . The gall makes its appearance in May before the leaves are fully developed; it is then blister like, yellow or pale brown, and is surrounded by a light green ring. When fully developed in August and September it is bright red or reddish brown. The gall varies greatly in size, shape and color. On the Red Oak, Scarlet Oak, and Black Oak (Q. rubra, Q. coccinea and Q. tinctoria) it is usually quite small, rounded and deep red, while on the Pin Oak (Q. palustris) it is much larger, greenish in color and looks almost like a different gall. On the Scrub Oak (Q. ilicifolia) the gall resembles that on Red Oak, but is much lighter in color. Frequently two or more galls are confluent and assume a very irregularly rounded or elongated form. The differences in appearance in this gall is accounted for by the behavior of the gall on different kinds of Oaks. On the under surface of the leaf the gall is indicated by a green nipple. (Beuttenmuller, 1892)

See also: Mature gall and larva, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38412666

From our Flickr page at the time:

On March 22, 2009 around 1:00pm, we were walking north on east main trail in Fakahatchee Preserve State Park in southwest Florida. We had just stepped out of a slough back onto the main trail when Chris noticed something on the trail. Chris wispered to Misti, "panther"!

We both were in shock, we have been lucky enough to see 4 and 5 panthers each over the last few years. We furiously pulled our little fuji point and shoot out of Misti's pocket and snapped a few pictures.

After a few pictures I whipped my bag off and got my dslr out, switched lenses and literally went running after the panther. I follwed the panther for about a quarter mile down the trail. Eventually it got annoyed at me following it and bounded off into the preserved.

WOW!

Write up from Flickr when we initially found the animal:

We were driving west on alligator alley this morning with our friend Randy when I caught a quick glance of a roadkill in the middle of the road. I instantly thought it might have been an everglades mink (highly endangered). We kept driving and about 2 miles later we saw an animal running across the highway. We got a really good look at it and I am sure it was a live everglades mink (my second live mink, first was in Fakahatchee).

Randy turned around so we could go check out the roadkill I had seen a few miles back. It turned out to be an everglades mink also! I called Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park biologist Mike Owen to tell him . Mike said we would submit it to the University of Florida under his permit to collect roadkill.

According to Mike there are about 15 mink which have been collected over the past 80 years or so and send to the University.