GALLERY
Category: GALLS
Birch mite gall (Acalitus longisetosus)
Where and when encountered: Free Church Wood on 17 June 2021
About: Maps of records within Great Britain suggest that these mite-produced galls of birch leaves are most often encountered in the Scottish Highlands.
Aceria nalepai
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 28 October 2021
About: These galls on alder leaves are the work of the mite Aceria nalepai, a species occurring throughout Great Britain.
Cooley spruce galls (Adelges cooleyi)
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 5 August 2024
About: Cooley spruce galls are caused by adelgid bugs of the species Adelges cooleyi. This insect has alternate generations, one on spruces and the other on Douglas fir. Most records for the species in Great Britain are from the Scottish Highlands.
Knopper gall (Andricus quercuscalicis)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 7 September 2022
About: Knopper galls are chemically induced distortions of acorns caused by gall wasps of the species Andricus quercuscalicis, and they can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Anisostephus betulinus
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 9 July 2022
About: These galls on birch leaves are the work of a midge. The midge larvae leave the galls between July and September. The Great British distribution of the species is not especially clear, on account of limited recording.
Contarinia petioli
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 17 May 2025
About: The galls photographed, in the petiole of an aspen leaf, are the work of the midge Contarinia petioli. Most records of the species in Great Britain come from the Scottish Highlands.
Dasineura urticae
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 25 August 2022
About: Distortions to the leaves of nettle caused by the gall mite Dasineura urticae can be encountered from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Robin's pin-cushion (Diplolepis rosae)
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 25 August 2022
About: Robin's pin-cushion galls (also known as bedeguar galls) are caused by the gall wasp Diplolepis rosae and can be found on wild roses throughout much of Great Britain.
Hawthorn–carrot aphid gall (Dysaphis crataegi agg)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 17 June 2021
About: The 'hawthorn–carrot aphid' is a name given to a cluster of very closely related species. In all species, the aphids develop in galls on the foliage of hawthorns, their primary host, and then disperse to various umbellifers, including wild carrot. The galls can be found in various parts of Great Britain.
Eriophyes diversipunctatus
Where and when encountered: Balliefurth Farm on 20 June 2022
About: Almost all records in the NBN Atlas of the mites responsible for these aspen galls come from the upper Spey valley in the Scottish Highlands.
Eriophyes laevis
Where and when encountered: Carrbridge on 2 September 2021
About: These galls on alder leaves are the work of the mite Eriophyes laevis, a species occurring throughout Great Britain.
Cowberry redleaf gall (Exobasidium vaccinii)
Where and when encountered: Sluggan (Carrbridge) on 8 July 2022
About: Cowberry redleaf is a fungus-induced gall in which leaves of the host-plant turn red and develop into a cup-shape. The fungus responsible can also cause galls to form on other parts of cowberry and, in addition, can affect some other plant species.
Geocrypta galii
Where and when encountered: Rothiemurchus Estate on 23 June 2024
About: These galls are the work of the gall midge Geocrypta galii, a species known from various corners of Great Britain.
Editor's note: The galls in the photograph are on lady's bedstraw.
Gymnosporangium clavariiforme
Where and when encountered: Carrbridge on 2 September 2021
About: This galled haw was most probably caused by the fungus Gymnosporangium clavariiforme. The alternate stage in the life-cycle of this widely scattered fungus occurs as conspicuous orange protuberances on common juniper known as 'tongues of fire'.
Editor's note: The gall key that I use suggests that it cannot be definitively stated that this gall was the work of Gymnosporangium clavariiforme, with G. confusum also being a possible agent.
Tongues of fire (Gymnosporangium clavariiforme)
Where and when encountered: Glenfeshie on 28 April 2023
About: The alternate stage in the life-cycle of this widely scattered fungus occurs on hawthorn.
Rowan crown gall (Gymnosporangium cornutum)
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 26 August 2021
About: This fungal gall is a relatively common sight on rowan trees in the Scottish Highlands but rarely encountered elsewhere in Great Britain.
Editor's note: The species' vernacular name comes from the crown-like form of the gall on the underside of affected leaves.
Harmandiola tremulae
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 10 August 2023
About: These galls, the work of the midge species Harmandiola tremulae, form on the leaves of aspen trees and can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Hairy beech gall (Hartigiola annulipes)
Where and when encountered: Anagach Woods on 2 August 2024
About: Hairy beech galls – not all of which are markedly pubescent – are the work of midges in the species Hartigiola annulipes. Like the host tree, beech, they can be found in most parts of Great Britain.
Macrodiplosis roboris
Where and when encountered: Anagach Woods on 29 August 2024
About: Gall midges of the species Macrodiplosis roboris cause characteristic folds to form on the lobes of oak leaves. The galls can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Microbotryum bistortarum
Where and when encountered: Tulloch on 8 June 2025
About: The spore-releasing galls in the photograph are the work of the fungus Microbotryum bistortarum, a little-recorded species in Great Britain.
Currant gall (Neuroterus quercusbaccarum)
Where and when encountered: West Port near Cromdale on 4 June 2022
About: Currant galls are formed on the flowers and foliage of oak trees by the sexual generation of wasps in the species Neuroterus quercusbaccarum. The agamic generation of these wasps is responsible for spangle galls, also on oaks. The Scottish Highlands are one of the larger parts of the species' patchy distribution in Great Britain, at least judging by records available through the NBN Atlas.
Spangle gall (Neuroterus quercusbaccarum)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 7 September 2022
About: Spangle galls are formed on the leaves of oak trees by the agamic generation of wasps in the species Neuroterus quercusbaccarum. The sexual generation of these wasps is responsible for currant galls, also on oaks. The Scottish Highlands are one of the larger parts of the species' patchy distribution in Great Britain, at least judging by records available through the NBN Atlas.
Phyllocoptes eupadi
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 30 May 2022
About: These galls, on bird cherry, are the work of mites in the species Phyllocoptes eupadi. They can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Psyllopsis fraxini agg
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 20 June 2024
About: This gall on ash is the work a jumping plant louse belonging to the Psyllopsis fraxini species aggregate. These jumping plant lice can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Puccinia urticata
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 17 June 2021
About: The distortion of nettle stems and leaves caused by the fungus Puccinia urticata can be remarkable in nature. The Scottish Highlands are one of the areas of Great Britain where these galls are most commonly found.
Editor's note: In the photograph, numerous fruiting bodies – from which spores disperse – are clearly visible.
Alder tongue gall (Taphrina alni)
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 16 August 2021
About: These fungus-caused galls of the female catkins of alder trees can develop into tongue-like protuberances. They can be found in various parts of Great Britain.
Bird cherry pocket (Taphrina padi)
Where and when encountered: Milton Loch on 22 June 2024
About: This pocket gall on bird cherry is the work of the fungus Taphrina padi. The galls can be found in various corners of Great Britain.
Fig gall (Tetraneura ulmi)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 25 May 2025
About: The fig gall is produced on elm leaves by the aphid Tetraneura ulmi.
Pine bud mite gall (Trisetacus pini)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 28 May 2022
About: Within Great Britain, these mite-caused galls of young pine branches are restricted almost entirely to the Scottish Highlands.
Selected galleries
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