Knopper Gall Acorns, 26th August

Late August, and it's the last Bank Holiday of the year.

Flowers turn to fruit.

I was reading recently about the Knopper Gall Wasp, and it's infestation of acorns (causing strange growths due to laying it's eggs within the growing acorn itself). This is a fairly recent phenomenon (growing over the last 30 years, in the South of England) though it appears not to be harmful. At least not to oaks. Maybe to squirrels and other small mammals, as there tend to less good acorns. From what I can gather though, a bad year is as often followed by a good, so it's not a permanent injury, and is dependent on particular climate conditions.

I'm not sure I would ever have noticed, if I hadn't looked for it:

Though many of the acorns seem just fine: ...

There's more about the Knopper Gall on The Wildlife Trusts website:

The Knopper Gall arrived in the UK in the 1960s and spread rapidly. Despite concerns about the Knopper Gall affecting populations of our native Oaks (heavy infestations can cause poor acorn crops), there have not been any serious consequences yet. The Wildlife Trusts work with surveyors, scientists and other conservationists to monitor changes in our native wildlife to determine the effects of environmental change, such as the introduction or spread of non-native species. You can help: volunteer for your local Trust and you'll be able to take part in surveys, adding to a growing bank of data.