I was taking photos of acorns, thinking I’d perhaps write a blog about the many varied types of nuts, when it occurred to me how many galls I’ve been seeing on acorns this year. The gall-causers are having a good year.

I’ve covered these before (in Oak galls: knoppers and artichokes, August 2017) so won’t repeat myself here. But if you’re interested in what causes these particular galls, just click on the link to that previous blog. The galls in the first photo are Artichoke galls, caused by the tiny wasp Andricus foecundatrix, and the galls in the second photo, which have almost totally consumed the acorns, have been caused by another wasp Andriscus quercuscalicis.