Noticed this in my garden on a thistle leaf, any idea what it could be? Thx.

RJ, I've seen this on the poison ivy in my back yard. I think its some kind of disease, Maybe rust? The inside of the spots on the poison ivy are reddish in color.

Are the spots raised? My first thought was some type of leaf gall.

I agree! Some type of insect.

Photos for comparison: https://www.researchgate.net/f...

Yes, bumps are raised

Oh, ok. I see the connection! On mine I was going by the color. And I really don't care because it's on my poison Ivy, which by the way has all been hacked down. I will spray when it starts growing again.
Good diagnosis, Lin and Bill.

plantladylin said:Photos for comparison: https://www.researchgate.net/f...

Maybe good guys!

All the credit is Lin's.
I just carry the golf bag. All of the fabulous shots are hers!!!

Just carry the golf bag!

The only think I'd know to do with a golf club would be to use it for bashing these big Lubber Grasshoppers!

Ah, it doesn't matter. I just try to interject a little humor whenever I can!
See, it is getting some chuckles!!

Lin,
You got some kudos from one of our University Entomologists!

Very good detective work; I have not seen this before in the field.
However, I know Hesler's work, in SD is very good; and his publication here is quite clear, and timely; and indicates that the gall midge could be widely distributed in MN, as well as Dakotas.
It's something I will start looking for too,
Bill
and yes, should be a beneficial spp.; will be interesting to see the host range (# of thistle spp.) it attacks,
(aka for biological control of thistle)

Lin, isn't using a golf club on those lubbers a little bit of overkill? I just snip them in half with my sharpest garden shears. Very amusing to see the front half try to hop away. Sometimes the back half tries to do that, too. Am I cruel, or what?

Lin has good hand to eye coordination!! She is knocking those suckers 30 yards now with a sand wedge! Just wait until she tees one up and uses a driver. A neighbor 75 yards away will be sitting there and plop, 1/2 a lubber lands in his iced tea!!!🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗FORE!!!

I would like to see that!!! Would make an awesome video. You tube star is born.!

I remember those huge things when I toured gardens in Florida but they were black, eeewww!

Calif_Sue said:I remember those huge things when I toured gardens in Florida but they were black, eeewww!

I've been in Florida for 54 years and thankfully I've only seen these big grasshoppers 3 times in all those years and luckily it's been only one or two but in some parts of the Southeastern U.S. numbers are said to be really high at times. I'd never go outside if we had to deal with lots of those critters! I've never seen the black ones, only the bright yellow and yellowish-orange; their coloration is variable and supposedly the predominately black ones are found more in the northern part of the state.

I just remembered that I photographed one on a daylily when I toured the hybridizers garden.
The stuff nightmares are made of!

Stuff of nightmares!