There is a place locally I call the secret field because it has just a couple of quite well-concealed entrances and very few people visit it – in fact, of the many local people I know there’s only one who knows this place. It is surrounded by large mature trees, which means the location is quite sheltered, and the field itself seems to have been planted with saplings perhaps 10-15 years ago, judging by their size. This secret field is where I make many of my most interesting discoveries, and this is one of the most recent.

These are galls on the leaves of Ash trees (upper leaf above, lower leaf below) caused by the larvae of a small bug called Psyllopsis fraxini, also known as the Jumping plant louse according to the Naturespot website, though I’m not sure that’s an official name. There are, apparently, three species of this Psyllopsis bug whose larvae cause galls like these so when recording such finds the aggregate name is used, Psyllopsis fraxini agg. You can read more about these wee beasties and see photos of the adult on the British Bugs website here.