I found two of these in my woods and I seem to recall having seen one or two in previous years. They are slightly smaller than a ping pong ball and are nearly weightless. The nearest tree looks like some variety of oak, but is not red or white oak, which are the prevalent oaks in this area. I suspect it is some sort of insect-created gall but the replication between the two is indistinguishable down to the leaf-tip that is not encased. Sorry I didnt think to photo the tree bark, but I was sure I would quickly find a link to identify these odd balls. Not so!
