Aliens Invade the Magnolia Tree

Imagine my curiosity when I looked up at the magnolia in the backyard and saw these:






I was initially concerned they were some sort of gall (like the wasp galls we had on some oaks in the spring). A Web search, however, seems to indicate they are immature magnolia fruits. Amazing what you find when you use "alien", "growth", and "magnolia" as your search terms.