diff --git a/include/osgUtil/Optimizer b/include/osgUtil/Optimizer
index 118c476f0..0f1b804c2 100644
--- a/include/osgUtil/Optimizer
+++ b/include/osgUtil/Optimizer
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ class OSGUTIL_EXPORT Optimizer
             REMOVE_LOADED_PROXY_NODES = 0x004,
             COMBINE_ADJACENT_LODS =     0x008,
             SHARE_DUPLICATE_STATE =     0x010,
+            MERGE_GEODES =             0x1000,
             MERGE_GEOMETRY =            0x020,
             CHECK_GEOMETRY =            0x040,
             SPATIALIZE_GROUPS =         0x080,
@@ -88,6 +89,7 @@ class OSGUTIL_EXPORT Optimizer
                                 REMOVE_LOADED_PROXY_NODES |
                                 COMBINE_ADJACENT_LODS |
                                 SHARE_DUPLICATE_STATE |
+                                MERGE_GEODES |
                                 MERGE_GEOMETRY |
                                 CHECK_GEOMETRY |
                                 SPATIALIZE_GROUPS |
@@ -405,7 +407,27 @@ class OSGUTIL_EXPORT Optimizer
                 StateSetMap _statesets;
 
         };
-        
+
+        /** Combine geodes
+          */
+        class OSGUTIL_EXPORT MergeGeodesVisitor : public BaseOptimizerVisitor
+        {
+            public:
+
+                /// default to traversing all children.
+                MergeGeodesVisitor(Optimizer* optimizer=0):
+                    BaseOptimizerVisitor(optimizer, MERGE_GEODES) {}
+
+                virtual void apply(osg::Group& group);
+
+                bool mergeGeodes(osg::Group& group);
+
+            protected:
+
+                bool mergeGeode(osg::Geode& lhs, osg::Geode& rhs);
+
+        };
+
         class OSGUTIL_EXPORT CheckGeometryVisitor : public BaseOptimizerVisitor
         {
             public:
diff --git a/src/osgUtil/Optimizer.cpp b/src/osgUtil/Optimizer.cpp
index 982689fbd..2a72410a7 100644
--- a/src/osgUtil/Optimizer.cpp
+++ b/src/osgUtil/Optimizer.cpp
@@ -75,6 +75,9 @@ void Optimizer::optimize(osg::Node* node)
         if(str.find("~SHARE_DUPLICATE_STATE")!=std::string::npos) options ^= SHARE_DUPLICATE_STATE;
         else if(str.find("SHARE_DUPLICATE_STATE")!=std::string::npos) options |= SHARE_DUPLICATE_STATE;
 
+        if(str.find("~MERGE_GEODES")!=std::string::npos) options ^= MERGE_GEODES;
+        else if(str.find("MERGE_GEODES")!=std::string::npos) options |= MERGE_GEODES;
+
         if(str.find("~MERGE_GEOMETRY")!=std::string::npos) options ^= MERGE_GEOMETRY;
         else if(str.find("MERGE_GEOMETRY")!=std::string::npos) options |= MERGE_GEOMETRY;
 
@@ -200,6 +203,13 @@ void Optimizer::optimize(osg::Node* node, unsigned int options)
 
     }
     
+    if (options & MERGE_GEODES)
+    {
+        osg::notify(osg::INFO)<<"Optimizer::optimize() doing MERGE_GEODES"<<std::endl;
+
+        MergeGeodesVisitor visitor;
+        node->accept(visitor);
+    }
 
     if (options & CHECK_GEOMETRY)
     {
@@ -2482,3 +2492,80 @@ void Optimizer::TextureVisitor::apply(osg::Texture& texture)
     }
 
 }
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+// Merge geodes
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+void Optimizer::MergeGeodesVisitor::apply(osg::Group& group)
+{
+    mergeGeodes(group);
+    traverse(group);
+}
+
+struct LessGeode
+{
+    bool operator() (const osg::Geode* lhs,const osg::Geode* rhs) const
+    {
+        if (lhs->getStateSet()<rhs->getStateSet()) return true;
+        return false;
+    }
+};
+
+bool Optimizer::MergeGeodesVisitor::mergeGeodes(osg::Group& group)
+{
+    if (!isOperationPermissibleForObject(&group)) return false;
+
+    typedef std::vector<osg::Geode*>                      DuplicateList;
+    typedef std::map<osg::Geode*,DuplicateList,LessGeode> GeodeDuplicateMap;
+
+    GeodeDuplicateMap geodeDuplicateMap;
+
+    for (unsigned int i=0; i<group.getNumChildren(); ++i)
+    {
+        osg::Node* child = group.getChild(i);
+        if (typeid(*child)==typeid(osg::Geode)) 
+        {
+            osg::Geode* geode = (osg::Geode*)child;
+            geodeDuplicateMap[geode].push_back(geode);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // merge
+    for(GeodeDuplicateMap::iterator itr=geodeDuplicateMap.begin();
+        itr!=geodeDuplicateMap.end();
+        ++itr)
+    {
+        if (itr->second.size()>1)
+        {
+            osg::Geode* lhs = itr->second[0];
+            for(DuplicateList::iterator dupItr=itr->second.begin()+1;
+                dupItr!=itr->second.end();
+                ++dupItr)
+            {
+                osg::Geode* rhs = *dupItr;
+                
+                if (mergeGeode(*lhs,*rhs))
+                {
+                    group.removeChild(rhs);
+
+                    static int co = 0;
+                    osg::notify(osg::INFO)<<"merged and removed Geode "<<++co<<std::endl;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return true;
+}
+
+bool Optimizer::MergeGeodesVisitor::mergeGeode(osg::Geode& lhs, osg::Geode& rhs)
+{
+    for (unsigned int i=0; i<rhs.getNumDrawables(); ++i)
+    {
+        lhs.addDrawable(rhs.getDrawable(i));
+    }
+
+    return true;
+}
+
diff --git a/src/osgWrappers/osgUtil/Optimizer.cpp b/src/osgWrappers/osgUtil/Optimizer.cpp
index be03541f3..1021137f8 100644
--- a/src/osgWrappers/osgUtil/Optimizer.cpp
+++ b/src/osgWrappers/osgUtil/Optimizer.cpp
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ BEGIN_ENUM_REFLECTOR(osgUtil::Optimizer::OptimizationOptions)
 	I_EnumLabel(osgUtil::Optimizer::REMOVE_LOADED_PROXY_NODES);
 	I_EnumLabel(osgUtil::Optimizer::COMBINE_ADJACENT_LODS);
 	I_EnumLabel(osgUtil::Optimizer::SHARE_DUPLICATE_STATE);
+	I_EnumLabel(osgUtil::Optimizer::MERGE_GEODES);
 	I_EnumLabel(osgUtil::Optimizer::MERGE_GEOMETRY);
 	I_EnumLabel(osgUtil::Optimizer::CHECK_GEOMETRY);
 	I_EnumLabel(osgUtil::Optimizer::SPATIALIZE_GROUPS);
@@ -132,6 +133,13 @@ BEGIN_OBJECT_REFLECTOR(osgUtil::Optimizer::IsOperationPermissibleForObjectCallba
 	I_Method3(bool, isOperationPermissibleForObjectImplementation, IN, const osgUtil::Optimizer *, optimizer, IN, const osg::Node *, node, IN, unsigned int, option);
 END_REFLECTOR
 
+BEGIN_OBJECT_REFLECTOR(osgUtil::Optimizer::MergeGeodesVisitor)
+	I_BaseType(osgUtil::BaseOptimizerVisitor);
+	I_ConstructorWithDefaults1(IN, osgUtil::Optimizer *, optimizer, 0);
+	I_Method1(void, apply, IN, osg::Group &, group);
+	I_Method1(bool, mergeGeodes, IN, osg::Group &, group);
+END_REFLECTOR
+
 BEGIN_OBJECT_REFLECTOR(osgUtil::Optimizer::MergeGeometryVisitor)
 	I_BaseType(osgUtil::BaseOptimizerVisitor);
 	I_ConstructorWithDefaults1(IN, osgUtil::Optimizer *, optimizer, 0);