Pear tree attack

One of the pear trees has been colonised by these tiny tent caterpillars. Well, they're tiny now, but if they keep going like this I imagine they'll soon be enormous.


As we stared in horror at the denudation of the top growth of the tree, Mike noticed that a rearguard action was being fought by a parasitic wasp which was busily laying its eggs in the caterpillars. Good to know we've got an ally!


And in other insect news, it has finally got warm enough for the annual cicadas (Tibicen linnei) to emerge. I've never seen one, but you can't mistake the song the males sing: