The chestnut leaf miner is with us again but I notice it is not as advanced this year as it has been in the past. Photographs from 2011 show pronounced brown patches on the leaves by this date. This year the brown spots are still tiny pinheads. This means that the chestnuts have managed to make good growth so far and flowers have developed into tiny conkers. How far these will develop we will see later.
I've been trying to work out why the infestation is not so bad. It could be that the parasite is reaching a natural balance with its host after the first flush of the invasion. It may be that a natural predator has taken on the challenge or it could be something to do with the prolonged, cold and wet weather we have had this May and June so far. Either way, good luck to the chestnuts in their struggle for survival.
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