I found an unfamiliar object on a twig laying on the ground near the pond. Deer have browsed the willow shoots in that area, and this was cut but left behind. The object seemed like a gall or growth rather than a seed pod. It has dried leaves curled around it, and looks to be attached to the twig with a web-like or woven material. I asked my friends on Botanical Wanderings for ID help -- it is most likely the cocoon of a native silk moth. If so, it should emerge in the next few weeks. Hopeful, I tied it to a sandbar willow branch near where I found it, since willow a host plant where giant silk moths lay their eggs.
