As you may have noticed in recent years nearly every Horse Chestnut tree has been badly affected (if not killed) but a blight that stops the leaves growing to full size before drying up and going all crispy by late June making autumn come early. Well the culprit is a tiny little moth called a Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner (Cameraria ohridella). It is only about 4mm long so you can imagine just how minute the catarpillers are that worm their way through the inner layers of the leaf leaving it a empty shell!
The culprit (Chris Slade)
Rainham Marshes is not immune to this and the once stately chestnuts that stand around the Cordite Store are now a shadow of their former selves. We have had to do some serious tree work on them over the last few years but will try and keep them standing and safe for as long as possible as the dying wood provides a wealth of habitats for a myriad of other creatures and an easier home for our woodpeckers!
The result (me)