Bug FAQSpiny Leaf Gall Wasp
Diplolepis polita · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Cynipidae
The spiny leaf gall wasp makes round, spiky galls on rose leaves in spring and early summer. These galls appear on several species of wild roses across North America.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The galls are spherical and covered with short spikes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It induces galls on several wild rose species in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Galls form on leaves in spring and early summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 41 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Illinois.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When do the galls appear?
The galls develop on leaves during spring and early summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Cynipidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplolepis_polita
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.