Hackberry

               

Hackberry is surprisingly common on school grounds in Virginia, especially near the major rivers and river valleys. It is a very drought tolerant tree and was one of the first to be planted on the North American prairie. Because hackberry is in the elm family, it can be recognized by the inequilateral base of its leaf. Another useful characteristic is the warty character of the otherwise smooth bark. Unlike the elms, the fruit of hackberry is a drupe. Look at the leaves of the hackberry and you will almost certainly find galls made by the hackberry nipplegall maker. This insect is in a family called the jumping plant lice. It is only 2-5 mm long.  The nipplegall maker feeds on leaves and causes the gall to form when it lays it eggs in the leaf tissue.