Question
This plant is common in Saskatchewan and southern Ontario. I first
seen it one winter when an oldtimer showed me the grub inside a
ball of plant material where a fly had burrowed a hole in the ball
and laid an egg. The larvae was tiny (mealworm color but much
smaller) and the man used it for bait for crappie fishing. the plant
grows about 2 feet tall and this ball is on the stem about 2/3 of the
way up. Do you know what plant it is? I can't find it in any of my
plant books. We find it around marshes and surrounding area.

Answer
Paul,
The plant you are refering to is called Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis or S. altissima).

The "ball" is the plants reaction to a fly larvae that was deposited as a egg in the spring. The worm overwinters in the gall.

Thank you for your question...I had to do a fair amount of looking but I loved the challange! (and learning something new myself)

Angie