Here in the south of Britain we’ve experienced our first substantial rain for many weeks, following the driest April and May since meteorological records began. During a particularly heavy shower while I was in the woods today, I took shelter under a beautiful sycamore tree. Looking up I discovered that I was not the only one; the underside of every one of the tree’s bright spring-green leaves were harbouring thousands of insects.
Gabriel Hemery
I didn’t notice at first that the flies had aligned themselves with the leaf’s veins, both major and minor, and were also facing the same way along them.