##LichenGBI
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sylviad.bsky.social
A mosaic of lichen on a Sussex fencepost #lichens #lichenGBI
The photo shows a wooden fencepost covered by several different species of lichen all growing in a mosaic formation. The different coloured dots are the lichen's fruit. The one with black dots is Lecidella elaeochroma, the one with creamy/brown dots is Lecanora hybocarpa. In between is a green one with no dots called Lecanora compallens. At the top is a ridged green lichen called Diplocia canescens and off to the right and near the bottom are shrubby young Ramalina lichen.
November 14, 2025 at 4:42 PM
sylviad.bsky.social
Getting in the Christmas mood - the lichen Teloschistes chrysophthalmus or Goldeneyes lichen forming a small wreath on a Hawthorn tree today in Sussex #lichenGBI
Several thalli of the lichen Teloschistes chrysophthalmus on Hawthorn twigs. The lichen has large orange apothecia or fruits whose edges are ringed with cilia giving the lichen its common name of the Goldeneyes lichen.
December 23, 2024 at 7:07 PM
jennysea.bsky.social
#lichenGBI
Unexpected on Larch twigs covered with Physcia tenella and Xanthoria parietina - a solitary Teloschistes chrysophthalmos! #lichen
October 23, 2025 at 12:26 PM
chriscant.bsky.social
Kilchoan is an amazing spot for lichens - and fungi and I'm sure bryophytes. Hazels and other trees were covered in exciting lichens including Pannaria rubiginosa, Lobaria pulmonaria and Ricasolia virens. The hazels had glue fungus and the remains of hazel gloves. And flowers too... #LichenGBI
Pannaria rubiginosa, Lobaria pulmonaria and Ricasolia virens + other lichens Glue fungus Hazel gloves fungus Primrose too...
February 23, 2025 at 7:11 PM
geoffrey311.bsky.social
Exploring #lichens on the #Isle-of-Rona, in #Scotland

Above the black and orange zones of coastal lichens is a grey zone of lichens with muted colours. This gradually gives way to the normal inland lichens.

Tap/click the caption to expand it.
#lichenGBI #FungiFriends
There are two species of Ramalina that are found on coastal rocks. This one is Ramalina cuspidata. If you enlarge the right-hand branches of the lichen in the foreground you'll see a lot of black dots along the branches, all at the tip of small white swellings. These are pycnidia, one type of spore-producing structure. In the centre of the photo a circular structure is attached to another of the branches. This is an apothecium, a second type of spore-producing structure. A number of features help to identify Ramalina cuspidata and separate it from Ramalina siliquosa (which will be in the next photo). 1. Its branches are narrow and either flattened or ±rounded in cross-section. 2. The branches are blackened right at the base, as they arise from the holdfast on the rock. 3. The conspicuous black pycnidia we've already seen. Ramalina cuspidata also tends to occur lower down on the shore than R. siliquosa. Here are the flattened branches of Ramalina siliquosa, which are quite stiff and sturdy. Usually flattened, they may be between 2 and 9 mm wide. Both Ramalinas are very common on coastal siliceous rocks, as well as exposed sites further inland such as wind-exposed outcrops of rock, hilltops and tall buildings where salt-laden winds may encourage their growth at the expense of more salt-averse species. Ramalina siliquosa may be distinguished from R. cuspidata by several features. 1. Branches stiff and tough, usually flattened except at their base, up to 9 mm broad. 2. No blackening at their base (though beware of dirt!) 3. Pycnidia are frequent and may be clustered into small nodules, but they have white tips. There are some black specks of dirt on this specimen, but most of them are found on the flat surfaces of the branches, not on the white pycnidia. More of this black dirt is found on the base of the branches, but it does not look like a general blackening of the stem. If in doubt, spray or pour some water over the lichen to wash away any dirt. The grey zone can include quite a number of different species, and I can only illustrate four in this post. Here, some very long, thin, branching brown lobes of a foliose lichen spread out across the rock surface. When wet it undergoes a startling colour-change. It loses the brown colour and appears as dark green instead, as the algal cells become visible beneath the transparent surface layer, the cortex. This is Anaptychia runcinata. The generic name means that it occurs on (ana) the Greek island of Ptychia near Corfu, now known as Vido. This lichen can be abundant on hard coastal rocks, and also on turf and soil. The lobes are up to 2.5 mm wide, slightly wider at their tips, fairly thick, flat to concave. Thick white crustose lichens with round black apothecia but white margins are common on coastal rocks, and may belong to one of two species. These two look almost identical and distinguishing one from the other calls for a little investigation. The best way to distinguish them is to cut one of the apothecia vertically into two pieces. It's easy to cut as it has the consistency of a mushroom (it is a fungus after all). The difficulty is that the apothecia are very small, only 1 or 2 mm wide. Use a (single-sided) razor blade or a sharp pen-knife, don't lose sight of the cut apothecium, and then use a lens to view the cut surface. If the layer just below the black disc is also dark (it may have a purplish sheen), the lichen is this one pictured, Tephromela atra. If that layer is pale (it may have a greenish colour), the lichen is the very similar looking Lecanora gangaleoides. Sometimes the two will grow together.
June 18, 2025 at 7:51 PM
onloughrigg.bsky.social
Lichen klaxon alert!!! An eagle-eyed friend found something she thought "looked rather like something I'd seen in the book". Teloschistes chrysophthalmos (AKA Goldeneyes) has made it to Cumbria. Just a bit further north than previously found... so keep checking those hawthorns everyone! #LichenGBI
March 28, 2026 at 8:47 AM
sylviad.bsky.social
Concrete looking good covered in lichen #LichenGBI
A mosaic of orange, yellow and white crustose lichen, with a yellow foliose lichen on the right hand side.
May 2, 2025 at 6:58 PM
chriscant.bsky.social
Almost 4 years ago we translocated Lobaria pulmonaria lichen from a fallen bough of ash tree at Haweswater Naddle - 264 small pieces onto 80 different suitable trees nearby. Today we started a second round of check ups, removing the mesh and staples. After 4 trees, most were doing well:-) #LichenGBI
Lobaria pulmonaria translocation before mesh and staples removed Lobaria pulmonaria translocation after mesh and staples removed Missing Lobaria pulmonaria translocation
December 10, 2024 at 9:17 PM
geoffrey311.bsky.social
‪Three special #lichens in one image: Lobaria pulmonaria (top left), Ricasolia amplissima (middle to lower left), and Nephroma laevigatum (dark lobes to right). I know of only one tree in Cumbria that sports all three species from the Lobarion community; I visited it today. #lichenGBI
Three special lichens: top left is a green and brown foliose lichen with prominent raised ridges (Lobaria pulmonaria). Middle to lower left is another green folios lichen with smaller and very smooth lobes, dotted with black structures called cephalodia (Ricasolia amplissima). To their right is a brown foliose lichen which almost disappears against the brown bark of the tree. Some of its lobes are showing the underside of their tips, on which are their red-brown apothecia (Nephroma laevigata).
February 24, 2025 at 7:27 PM
geoffrey311.bsky.social
Exploring #lichens on the #Isle-of-Rona, in #Scotland

Further up the #coast, the black zone is overlapped by the orange zone, which also extends into the grey zone. These lichens experience less splashing but still plenty of sea spray.

Tap/click the caption to expand it.
#lichenGBI #FungiFriends
Coastal rock covered by a mixture of lichens. Much of it is black, this is the Hydropunctaria maura we've seen before. On top of the black there are pieces of two bright yellow-orange species, one foliose and one crustose. There are also small pieces of a much more orange species scattered about. Pale grey and white lichens are also represented. This is quite a mixture. One of the most prolific lichens to be found in the orange zone is this one. It's a foliose lichen, often with thin, narrow, strap-like lobes, though as they age they do widen and become more rounded, as in the previous photo. This is Xanthoria aureola, a relative of the very common Xanthoria parietina that many of us will be familiar with in urban and agricultural settings. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the two species apart. X. parietina usually has lots of round orange apothecia while X. aureola has them much more sparingly. Any coastal lichen with narrow strap-like lobes like these will be X. aureola. Even when these lobes grow fuller and wider, they rarely overlap each other, while the lobes of X. parietina usually overlap densely. Here is a bright yellow-orange crustose lichen growing over the black H. maura near the top of the black zone where it overlaps with the bottom of the orange zone. See the very long marginal lobes. This is a placodioid lichen, that is a crustose lichen with marginal lobes. Unlike the lobes of foliose lichens, these cannot be separated from the rock beneath them. As a crustose lichen, it has no lower surface; its fungal hyphae penetrate into the rock. This is Flavoplaca thallincola. It often prefers the shade or north-facing rocks. It usually produces plenty of apothecia on the central area, but they seem to be absent here. The distinctive reddish-orange colour of the small, scattered lichens in the first photo is often enough to identify it as Flavoplaca marina. I've only found this photo of a rather poorly-developed specimen from Rona. Here many parts of the thallus are separated from each other; small patches of a continuous areolate crust are found in only a couple of places. Quite a number of small, young apothecia can be seen. These grow to about 0.8 mm wide, but compare these ones with the mm scale. The discs can already be seen to be a deeper orange colour.
June 16, 2025 at 8:42 PM
jamesrowland23.bsky.social
Out with @robyaxley.bsky.social in Norfolk over the weekend and came across a mystery Usnea. After taking a piece home and seeking determination from a national expert, can confirm the first record of Usnea esperantiana for VC28 & for Norfolk as a whole. #LichenGBI @norfolknats.bsky.social
March 5, 2025 at 7:17 PM
geoffrey311.bsky.social
I went up to Harrop Tarn on Tuesday. There were several huge thalli of Parmelia saxatilis on a Beech tree, 10 to 12 inches across, and very fertile with lots of apothecia. [A thallus is the "body" of a single lichen.] #lichenGBI #lichens
Lower trunk of a tall beech tree, partly covered with moss, with three grey patches of lichen visible. There were other ones higher up as well. The lowest and most accessible of the lichen patches. Grey coloured lobes fringe the top and sides of the patch, while darker isidia are crowded on the central portion. The bottom of the patch has been lost to moss which seems ot be overgrowing it. Zooming in for a close-up photo of the central isidiate portion of the lichen, the individual lobes are so covered as to be no longer distinguishable, except where the occasional new lobe has grown. Those are free from isidia for now, and show the white markings of linear pseudocyphellae on the grey upper surface. Among the plentiful isidia are numerous dark red-brown discs, some rather distorted. These have a pale rim, also covered with pin-like isidia. These are the apothecia, the spore-producing bodies. Spores enable long-range reproduction, having the potential to travel very long distances once they are caught up in air currents. The isidia enable short-range reproduction. When they break off they may lodge in a suitable place for the fungal and algal cells they contain to grow into a new thallus, a sort of vegetative reproduction. The outer lobes at the top of the thallus. Grey-green in colour, with pale brown tips, a few millimetres wide, dividing into several main portions, and covered by a white network of lines. These are the places where the outer cortex of the lichen is broken, allowing the inner white medulla to show through. As the lobes age the thin pin-like isidia begin to grow along these lines – as can be seen in the lower part of the photo – but later the isidia grow all over the surface of the lobes, as in the central part of the thallus.
February 20, 2025 at 10:19 AM
sim-elliott.bsky.social
The magic few weeks of spring when Blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, flowers before it produces leaves, and on the Sussex coast (here RSPB Pagham Harbour) the buds and the blooms form a continuous abstract impressionist canvas with lichens, mostly Ramalina species. #lichenGBI #blackthorn #spring
April 6, 2026 at 7:11 PM
onloughrigg.bsky.social
Lichens from another stunner of a blue skied Lakeland day. Oodles of Lasallia pustulata; unexpected Sphaerophorus fragilis; the pareidolia of a face in a map lichen island; prolifically fertile Usnea subfloridana. #LichenGBI
January 30, 2025 at 7:06 PM
larkinlichen.bsky.social
#lichenGBI I think this is Punctelia borreri, from the ‘stars in the sky’ pseudocyphellae, black underside, simple rhizines and C+ red medulla. But P. subrudecta can be quite dark underneath too. On a Willow trunk, by the River Avon in Stratford-upon-Avon.
January 19, 2025 at 5:47 PM
northernhills.bsky.social
Here are some #lichen beauties in montane wind-clipped heath in the #Cairngorms from a visit a month ago.
#lichengbi
Swards of Flavocetraria nivalis low to the ground amongst heather, bilberry, crowberry and cowberry. Alectoria sarmentosa ssp vexillifera with flattened stems Pseudephebe minusculum on a rock - tiny with a dendritic branching pattern Lepra dactilina with chunky white isidia
October 2, 2026 at 10:57 AM
onloughrigg.bsky.social
A fine day at Tilberthwaite yesterday, exploring old copper works and slate quarries with Cumbria Lichen and Bryophyte Group. Blastenia (was Caloplaca) crenularia; Collema furfuraceum; Rhizocarpon oederi surrounded by Acarospora sinopica. Reds in the settling beds! #LichenGBI
March 14, 2025 at 8:21 AM
larkinlichen.bsky.social
#lichenGBI Thrilled! ‘Lichens of Ireland & GB’ by Paul Whelan. 970 pages. Ecology and biology. Detailed info and range of photos per species. Microscopy. From the intro: “..a personal view of the lichen world and essentially an educational guide.”
Two volumes of “Lichens of Ireland and Great Britain” with 2 bookmarks of reference info
November 22, 2024 at 11:43 AM
geoffrey311.bsky.social
While in Woundale last week I found several examples of Cladonia diversa, growing on the grey siliceous boulders.

#lichens #lichenGBI #fungifriends
A number of small trumpet-like Cladonia podetia growing out of a bed of small grey-green squamules. There are small red and dark brown dots on the rims of the cups. The podetia were up to 1.5 cm tall. No prominent red apothecia here, as often found on this species, but the occasional small red pycnidia are enough to identify this as a red-fruited type of Cladonia. Notice here the irregularly shaped podetia. Is that why this species is named "diversa"? Notice too the large and persistent basal squamules out of which the podetia are growing. The podetia themselves have smaller squamules growing on them, especially on their lower halves. On their upper parts, and inside the shallow but broad cups, are numerous grey-green granules, the same colour as the upper surface of the squamules. These are corticate granules: the cortex is the surface layer that covers the top side of the squamules, and it coats these granules too. When these granules are detached, they are capable into growing into a new specimen of this lichen. They contain both the fungal cells, and the algal cells – in a layer just beneath their cortex – which in the right conditions can grow together into a new lichen. Between the granules are large bare areas on the podetia. Here there is no cortex and we see directly the white fungal medulla or inner part of the lichen. These bare areas are not a problem. They enable atmospheric gases and moisture to circulate within the lichen. Both are needed if the algal cells are to photosynthesise. See too that many of these podetia, though not all, taper gently from the rim of the cup to the base. The edge of a patch of the lichen Cladonia diversa. On the left the rock is bare of this lichen, though it is covered with another, crustose, lichen. Here the Cladonia can be seen to be growing among moss on the rock. Many of the green basal squamules can be seen, curling up at the edges and shallowly indented. One of them (on the far right) shows the white underside of the squamule. Again this is the fungal medulla or central part of the lichen. The one podetium here appears rather different from the gently tapering ones of the last photo. This one has a cup that narrows sharply to a thin stalk-like base. The podetia are diverse shapes indeed. Again notice the corticate granules inside and around the cup. Some of these in the cup look as though they are beginning to grow into small squamules themselves. Larger squamules can be seen on the base of the podetium – I'm sorry these are out of focus! On the rim of the cup – properly called a scyphus – is a series of very dark brown pycnidia. These produce asexual spores, another form of reproduction. Another patch of Cladonia diversa, growing among moss on a siliceous boulder in Woundale. On the left several very young podetia can be seen, each one clearly growing out of the centre of one of the basal squamules. The scyphi are well-filled with corticate granules, some of which are beginning to enlarge and grow into small squamules. There are far fewer decorticate areas on these podetia, but they are still present between the granules. The small cup in the centre of the photo is packed full of these granules and squamules. Notice too how it is ringed with very bright red dots. It looks like the pycnidia are beginning to grow into larger apothecia, which will produce normal fungal sexual spores when they are mature.
April 22, 2025 at 6:47 PM
sylviad.bsky.social
A good day to check on the Goldeneyes lichen - Teloschistes chrysophthalmos - on Devils Dyke on the South Downs above Brighton - lots found - from a tiny one with a single 'eye', ones with no 'eyes' to lots of 'eyes'. #lichen #lichenGBI @friendssouthdowns.bsky.social @nationaltrust.org.uk
A tiny example of the Goldeneyes lichen or Teloschistes chrysophthalmus, about 5mm across with only one fruit or apothecia. The fruit is circular, golden orange and surrounded by cilia that look like eyelashes, which is where it gets its common name. The lichen was found on Hawthorn on Devils Dyke, part of the South Downs, in Sussex. An example of the Goldeneyes lichen or Teloschistes chrysophthalmus, about 1cm across with no fruit (apothecia.) The lichen was found on Hawthorn on Devils Dyke, part of the South Downs, in Sussex. A larger example of the Goldeneyes lichen or Teloschistes chrysophthalmus, about 2cm across with lots of fruit or apothecia. The fruit is circular, golden orange and surrounded by cilia that look like eyelashes, which is where it gets its common name. The lichen was found on Hawthorn on Devils Dyke, part of the South Downs, in Sussex.
February 28, 2026 at 5:19 PM
sylviad.bsky.social
#LichenGBI First record of Normandina pulchella inside the city of Brighton & Hove - hidden away in moss on the trunk of a mature Elm in an urban park. Norman (we're on first name terms) is one of the easier lichens to ID once you find it, with distinctive scallop shaped lobes and fluffy soredia.
Round green lichen with raised lighter coloured edges. The lichen Normandina pulchella consists of green scalloped shaped thallus with raised edges that are a lighter green. It produces fluffy green soredia on the scallops.
January 22, 2025 at 5:29 PM
sylviad.bsky.social
Cladonia lichen - strikingly lovely and endlessly photogenic but very tricky to ID - there's four or five in this photo and I'm only certain of one, the white one on the left hand side, Cladonia portentosa - Iping Common, Sussex #LichenGBI
Several Cladonia lichen are shown in the photo - Cladonia potentosa - a reindeer lichen that is white and multibranched, a Cladonia with red fruit and several others that are green/brown and are composed of upright podetia that look like tiny stalks.
December 19, 2024 at 9:03 PM
onloughrigg.bsky.social
Enjoyable Saturday in the woods near Tilberthwaite with Cumbria Lichen and Bryophyte Group. Lots of good acid bark stuff including (everybody's) favourites Cetrelia olivetorum; Hypotrachyna laevigata and Bunodophoron melanocarpum. #LichenGBI
Cetrelia olivetorum var cetrarioides on an oak tree. Hypotrachyna laevigata 3 folk on a steep hillside looking for lichens Bunodophoron melanocarpum- the trumpets are fruiting bodies with a black spore mass. This is the only known population in the Windermere or Coniston catchments.
February 7, 2026 at 5:28 PM
onloughrigg.bsky.social
Skelghyll Woods this aft: all grey in the distance but close up the bracken's aflame. Hunting around I found Baeomyces rufus perky on the rocks and some previously unrecorded Hypotrachyna laevigata just by Jenkin's Crag. #LichenGBI But will there be snow?
Hypotrachyna laevigata on an oak tree Baeomyces rufus apothecia on an outcrop Rusty red bracken The view over Windermere from Jenkin's Crag
January 4, 2025 at 4:33 PM
geoffrey311.bsky.social
Exploring #lichens on the #Isle-of-Rona, #Hebrides, #Scotland

Walking east past the old houses I came to a small rocky summit, on the island’s N–S ridge (at 48 m). Here were saxicolous lichens we’ve met before. Do you remember them?

Tap/click the captions to expand
#lichenGBI #FungiFriends #nature
A dark brown foliose lichen with white pseudo-cyphellae on the lobes (remember yesterday's cyphellae?), with a number of apothecia down the left edge of the photo. Apothecia are the structures which produce the fungal spores by which this lichen reproduces. There is one small apothecium, closed up around the disc, and three much older, fully open discs, red-brown in colour. We saw this on rocks up near the summit of Meall Acairseid. On that occasion I did a K-test to check it was not another species I keep looking for. I did the same here. Having scraped away some of the upper cortex from one of the lobes I put a drop of KOH (potassium hydroxide) onto the white medulla of the lichen. It immediately turned yellow, then after a short time it turned red. If you're still scratching your head trying to remember this one, here is one clue. Foliose lichens with white pseudocyphellae along the margins and on the upper surface, many of them linear, usually belong to the genus Parmelia. This glossy dark brown species is Parmelia omphalodes. In NW Scotland it frequently covers the top of large boulders or rock outcrops. A pale brown fruticose lichen with some thick main stems and lots of much thinner side branches. This is a Sphaerophorus, but there are no fruiting bodies on this one (there often aren't) which give it both the name of the genus (Sphaer - ophorus = bearing spheres) and the name of this species (globosus). S. globosus is the one which has branches of varying thickness; S. fragilis has branches which all tend to be similar in thickness. I'm not sure we've met this one before on Rona. Here is a foliose lichen with quite narrow lobes, closely attached to the rock. Near the edge, at the bottom of the photo, are the younger lobes, the very youngest of which are a plain, pale yellow-green colour. There are no pseudo-cyphellae, but it is a similar and related genus to Parmelia. This is a Xanthoparmelia. The first part of that name comes from the Greek word xanthos, meaning "yellow". It is a very distinctive colour, which helps you start to identify it at first sight. Slightly older lobes, just away from the edge, have lots of dark dots on them. These are very small, thin, isidia. You need a 10x lens to see them properly. The oldest lobes, in the centre of the thallus (higher up in the photo) are simply crowded with isidia, so the surfaces of these lobes can no longer be seen. Scattered over these older lobes there are a lot of apothecia. The discs are again a red-brown colour, and are surrounded by a pale margin. Isidia are starting to grow from some of the margins of older apothecia, and some of the very oldest apothecia are being taken over by more isidia, where the disc once was. This is Xanthoparmelia conspersa. Conspersus is a Latin word meaning "sprinkled" – sprinkled with isidia. This lichen is common on well-lit siliceous rocks, both on the coast and inland. A number of Cladonias were growing on among moss on the edge of the rock. Cladonias with red apothecia always catch the eye, and often make for a striking photo. There are other Cladonias here. The narrow brown pointed spikes are one species, but I'm going to focus on that red-topped one. The stalks which bear the fruiting bodies (podetia) of some Cladonias end in a cup, but neither of these species do. The brown one ends in points, and the pale yellow-green one ends bluntly, with the red apothecia growing straight on the end. I think one short stalk branches into two just before the top, and each of those two branches has a red apothecium on top of it. The apothecia, remember, are where the lichen produces the fungal spores that are released into the atmosphere. There are four Cladonias in Britain that grow in the form of sticks and have red apothecia. To distinguish them from each other it is helpful to look at what the surface of the 'stick' (the podetium) is covered with. Two of the four have fine soredia on the podetia, so we can rule those out here. On the ground here there are a lot of small irregular bits of lichen. These are squamules, and it is from such squamules that the podetia have grown. To the right of the photo is another podetium, but with no red top. You can see how that one is attached to a number of squamules. You can also see much smaller squamules on the surface of the podetia. You might have to enlarge the photo to see them clearly. Apart from those little squamules, nothing else seems to be present on the surface of the podetia. Of the other two red-topped stick-like Cladonias, one (Cladonia bellidiflora) often has only dense squamules, the other (Cladonia floerkeana) can have quite a mixture of surface types, but it often has coarse granules. While it can sometimes be a bit tricky to tell the two apart, this all makes me fairly happy that this is Cladonia bellidiflora.
June 23, 2025 at 8:07 PM