Another aspect to the invasive Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris), which I mentioned in a previous post, is the Knopper Gall Wasp (Andricus quercuscalicis). Although the Turkey Oak arrived on these shores in the 1700's, the Knopper Gall Wasp who requires the Turkey Oak to complete it's life journey didn't arrive here until the 1960's. On arrival it discovered it also had a fondness for the acorns of our indigenous Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur), and as with the Turkey Oak itself the Gall Wasps are becoming a more and more common sight on the forest's oaks. It's been a thin year for acorns anyway, and a glut of Knoppers hasn't helped any.
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