Check out your local sloe patch for Pocket Plum (Taphrina pruni)

The timing of frosts wasn't good for this year's crop of sloe, at least on the Blackthorn around Inverness. However of the few sloe to be found, many will be infected by the fungus Taphrina pruni to form 'Pocket Plums'. Have a look at this month's 'Fungus of the Month' profile to find out more. This fungus must be far more widely distributed in Scotland than the NBN map suggests, and is very easy to identify in the field, so why not submit your records here or pass on to your local fungus group.