Along the Water of Leith

 

Today was a lovely day for my regular litter-picking, wildlife recording walk along the Water of Leith in Colinton and Craiglockart Dells. I was very happy to see that Common Spotted Orchids are again in bloom in the buttercup field 

I was even happier to see a good number of bees. There were probably over a hundred (including Buff tailed, White Tailed and Tree Bumblebees) flying round the cotoneaster and comfrey in the orchard area, though I didn't even take my camera out there as I was so engrossed in listening to and watching all the activity. I had better luck with the Tree Bumblebee below 

As I was photographing the bee above, I noticed that some of the leaves of the Beech tree were host to galls. The leaf below particularly so:

 

A quick internet search reveals that these galls are caused by a midge, Mikiola fagi. 

The British Plant Gall Society define a gall as ‘an abnormal growth produced by a plant or other host under the influence of another organism. It involves enlargement and/or proliferation of host cells, and provides both shelter and food or nutrients for the invading organism'.  

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My latest Substack post has just gone live. Focussing on Learning about Wildlife for the 30 Days Wild Challenge from The Wildlife Trusts, you can read it here.