Minibeasts in Autumn

Many Minibeasts either hibernate or spend winter as larvae or pupae hiding in dead wood, piles of logs, in leaf litter and compost heaps for shelter. Larva and pupa are two stages found in insects during their life cycle. To understand more about larvae and pupae read Metamorphosis.

Several insects create special winter homes for themselves within the leaves or stems of trees and other plants. These winter shelters are collectively called galls, and galls may appear on oak leaves.

Some galls are made by fungus and a good examples are “witches broom” which can be seen clearly in the autumn on birch trees. The fungus causes the tree to produce multiple stems so they look like brooms