Galls on Campus 7: Walnut
Before getting back to galls that can be seen around the Whiteknights campus, I ought to mention that at the end of last year another gall book appeared, making three in one year! This one, Britain’s...
View ArticleOn line identification – crowd sourcing
Getting help with identification of species can be challenging. For plants you can join the Botanical Society of the British Isles and become involved with a whole network of specialist professionals...
View ArticleBioBlitz Highlights
What a weekend! As well as amazing weather, we were lucky to have so many enthusiastic people joining us at the first ever Whiteknights BioBlitz. Friday night saw a large group gather for the start of...
View ArticleSpangle leaf-manglers: Neuroterus spp.
If you’ve spent any time admiring the variety of oaks (Quercus spp.) on campus, you may have noticed strange growths on various parts of the trees. During last week’s Vegetation Survey and Assessment...
View ArticleOrange pustules 2
Most fungi prefer warm and moist conditions so it’s not surprising that fungal pathogens are harder to find on plants in winter. A pathogen that is common on campus at the moment is Puccinia...
View ArticleSmothered in white
White blister rust is a disease that is mis-named as it is not actually caused by a rust fungus. The perpetrator is an oomycete. This group have traditionally been included in the fungi and have long...
View ArticleUnder attack!
Holm oak (Quercus ilex) is a Mediterranean tree species that was introduced to Britain in the 1500s. Unlike our native oak species, Holm oak is evergreen and holds its leaves all year round. It’s latin...
View ArticleMarble galls on oak
Early autumn is a great time to go looking for galls. Most have had time to develop but those on leaves are still on the trees for easy spotting. Two of the larger galls on oak are Knopper galls and …...
View ArticleIdeal home or revolting distortion?
If you need a safe place to live, why not get a home built to your own specifications? That’s what the larvae of Dasineura sisymbrii, a kind of gall midge do. The presence of the larvae amongst the...
View ArticleLooking down 2
Under some of the oak trees on campus, as well as the fallen leaves, tiny pale discs are appearing. Sometimes these are present in large numbers. They show up particularly well on tarmac pavements....
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