Hawthorn Leaf Galls

A leaf of a hawthorn bush (Crataegus sp) that has been badly discolored and distorted by galls.

Turning the leaf over revealed the galls to be full of black aphids which were being tended by an ant:

I think it probable that the aphids actually caused the galls, and that they were not just taking shelter in pre-existing galls.  My main reason for thinking this is that I could find no other galled leaves nor any aphids on the rest of the bush nor on any of the neighboring ones.

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-05-05.

Chazey Wood

Beech trees in Chazey Wood.

Photo taken near Caversham, UK, on 2014-05-16.

Leaf Spot Fungus

A leaf from a lime tree (Tilia sp) with pale spots.  The above photo shows that upper surface of the leaf, below is the lower surface:

Under the microscope the pale parts are revealed to be masses of fungal hyphae:

I have not (yet) been able to identify the fungus.

Specimen in first 2 photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-05-03, that in the 3rd photo taken in the same place on 2014-05-12.

Yellow Archangel

A flower of yellow archangel, Lamium galeobdolon.

And this is the full plant:

Photos taken in Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2014-04-21.

Holly Leaf-spot

A leaf of holly (Ilex aquifolium) with black spots. This above image shows the upper surface of the leaf, the image below shows the lower surface:

Under my stereo microscope most of the spots on the lower surface had a small hole at their centre and in a couple of these holes contained what looked like an insect egg:

Note added 2014-05-04: The black spots might be the fungus Coniothyrium ilicis. As not all of the spots have holes in them it is probable that the egg-laying insect deliberately selected the fungal patches in which to lay its eggs, presumably because the leaf surface was weaker there.

Specimen taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-04-12.