Category: Trip report

As part of the North Pennine ore fields, the geology of the western slopes of Dufton Fell is interesting – mineral-rich veins intruded into sedimentary layers (limestone, sandstone, shale, coal), all exposed in an upland valley. The Whin Sill (quartz-dolerite) is nearby and a few boulders of that were seen. Mining for lead started in the 1700s but turned to baryte production in the 1890s. Some exploratory work was carried out during WWI and in recent times the spoil heaps were reworked in the 1970s and 1980s, ie not much disturbance from mining in the last few decades so some of the spoil heaps are slowly vegetating over with low-growing plants and moss. However there were signs of digging, probably to use the spoil as gravel for track surfacing etc.

The site is part of the Appleby Fells SSSI which covers most of the north Pennines. It is designated mainly for habitat, eg limestone grassland, and associated plants and birds, although the geology too gets a mention. Specialist mine spoil habitats are not included.

We were aiming to reach the upper mined area, at about 550m, in monad NY7127. It’s over 4km (2.5miles) up hill from Dufton to this point on a good track all the way. Once into the monad there’s a good range of limestone and gritstone boulders and outcrops above Great Rundale Beck, as well as lots of mixed mine spoil. We stopped here near a lime kiln for a while and saw most of the species found on our earlier recce – assorted jelly lichens such as Lathagrium cristatum and L auriforme, Solorina saccata and Secoliga jenensis. Also here was Trapelia coarctata on a tiny slate pebble plus a new find: Nationally Rare Sagiolechia protuberans on limestone, showing a few black apothecia with exploded star-shaped margins.

We carried on up the track to an area of gentler slopes of gravelly spoil where the rare lichen Peltigera venosa was found back in January. It was still there though many of the tiny thalli were blackened and dying – was this to do with the drought a month or two back? As we carried on uphill it was seen in several further spots so still enough of it around. On the higher spoil heaps were mounds of terricolous species looking much more exuberant than usual – Cetraria islandica, C aculeata, Dibaeis baeomyces and Cladonia rangiformis, amongst others. Was their size and abundance due to the lack of competition, access to minerals plus hydration where the ground was boggier ?

John Douglass spent most of the time looking for Rhizocarpon species for an ongoing project, but took the time to point out a candidate for Cladonia borealis, a rare member of the red-fruited Cladonia coccifera group. It has a bare corticated podetium and shallow cup containing flattened granules.

Other finds included Baeomyces placophyllus, another terricolous species associated with metal-rich sites, and Trapelia placodioides on an outcrop which showed a vivid C+red reaction.

The limestone influence even in the spoil heaps was very obvious with calcareous flora around – thyme and mossy saxifrage were flowering and several tiny moonwort ferns became apparent because we had our faces pressed to the ground. Chris also found a nice horn stalk-ball fungus growing on the keratin of a sheep skull.

Before our visits this year there were no lichen records so it’s been rewarding to fill in some blanks on the map for this interesting upland site. There’s plenty more ground to look at too, so as usual we may have to go back…

Text: Caz Walker
Photos: Chris Cant, Caz Walker

Weather; sunny spells, scattered clouds, NNW wind gusts 13mph, 14 degrees.

Now a week on, from our lovely day hunting Lichens in another Lakeland location; we were a small focused group, Caz, Chris, John, Helen, Paul and me. How fortunate we were with the weather, it’s heavy rain here in the Dales, but much needed.

Caz and Chris requested a honest report from a newbie Lichen obsessive; wow, definitely not a detailed report full of tongue tied nomenclature in Latin or Greek from me just yet or ever?!

This was my 2nd field trip with CLBG and I arrived early with my usual enthusiasm and excitement for the day ahead.

We set off before 10’o clock and hadn’t gone far before an Ash pollard was being scrutinised for Lichens (refer to the photos below). It was beside a stream, whereupon John threw himself down amongst the wet rocks and boulders in search of underwater lichens.

My very sparce knowledge, but long time interest in lichens is from an artistic appreciation of their detailed form, makeup, colours and design. So on hearing from Caz and John that there are lichens that can live under water was another surprising lichen fact and therefore broadens a novice’s search and habitat area. Curiosity of this fascinating organism is suddenly widened for a person like me on hearing that.

Along a walled track and at every stream and boulder, my group of experts and enthusiasts could be seen perusing for that uncommon elusive lichen. Pocket note books and magnifiers were out, close up photographs taken, analysis and friendly debates took place. Another Ash pollard en-route suffering with a die back was closely investigated and discreet, non-invasive samples taken, for microscope identification. All very interesting if not overwhelming at times, due to the in depth scientific conversations.

‘Time flies when you’re having fun’ as the saying goes and sustenance was needed. So John and Chris broke for lunch early and then afterwards our meanderings took us uphill and in to a woodland of mostly Birch and Willow. We waded through knee high bracken from tree to tree; however, from my understanding, listening to the group exchanges, different lichen species were generally being found that day on rocks, out of and under water.

We then headed towards open ground and hoped to have reached more Ash pollards, but access was difficult; hopefully next time. Chris managed a quick nap instead.

The day concluded at about 4 o’clock and the next trip was already being discussed.

PS: Inspiring company, great day out, fab weather, beautiful place. Thank you all, Sue.

Text: Sue Turpie
Photos: Sue Turpie, Chris Cant, John Douglass, Paul Hanson

Hardknott Forest is near the head of the Duddon Valley, reached by some of us on the winding road over Wrynose Pass. The coniferous forest is slowly being felled and the area is now being restored to broadleaf woodland, peatbogs and heath by the Restoring Hardknott Forest project team who kindly welcomed us.

We visited Great Wood, part of the estate, which has been continuously wooded since the 1600s. However, it must have been replanted at some stage as it seems to mainly consist of even aged oaks in amongst rocks and outcrops, alongside some rowan, sycamore, birch, willow, hazel and bog myrtle. It was pleasing to see a lot of natural regeneration of hazel, rowan, holly and oak as well as a few planted and protected aspen and a scattering of bluebells and wood sorrel. I hope the young trees survive encroaching deer. We pulled up quite a few spruce saplings as we went round.

The River Duddon is the boundary between Westmorland Vice-County 69 and Cumberland VC70. We parked in VC69 but most of our records were in Great Wood in VC70, with records on the bridge judged to be in one or the other.

The dry-stone walls, boulders and outcrops have very attractive mosaics of lichens in crustose, foliose and fruticose forms. Almost straightaway those new to lichens were confronted by the smallness of things and had to digest the information that there were small lichenicolous fungi growing on the already-small lichens. Crustose Lepra corallina showed well what isidia are, but the black dots on the lichen are the “LF” Sclerococcum sphaerale. Pertusaria pseudocorallina showed brown-tipped isidia and the use of chemicals ie a small spot of K turned yellow then blood-red. There were foliose/leafy lichens such as “frilly lettuce” Platismatia glauca which later turned up on the trees. And fruticose Stereocaulon vesuvianum exploded architecturally. Sphaerophorus globsus and fragilis look similar though smaller but do not have the basal squamules and phyllocladia (tiny lobes on the stalk) of Stereocaulon. Red-fruited Cladonia species attracted the eye – these require very careful looking at minute features so best not to attempt a species id when starting out.

There were a few crab apple trees in the wood. One of these had the old woodland indicator Peltigera horizontalis as well as a good example of the more common Peltigera membranacea. Several trees had blown down in Storm Arwen; some were still growing but others were dead and gradually decorticating, which will give an opportunity for lichen species that like bare lignum before eventually being broken down by fungus.

The trees had quite a few common lichen species on their trunks and twigs including in the canopy of the fallen trees. There were some more unusual species found such as Cladonia caespiticia on the bark of fallen oak – and Caz found five Lepraria species during the day! An expansive willow in a damp patch had Coenogonium luteum with lovely orange fruiting bodies on moss on the bark, as featured on the front cover of the Dobson field guide.

The river level was low, though there was enough water for other visitors to swim in the small gorge near the bridge. A few lichens are aquatic and can live under the water; more live by water and can be periodically inundated. In a quick look we found a few lichens by the river such as Ephebe lanata and Placopsis lambii.

The pH of bark and rock is important. Lichenologists can look at geological maps to work out what types of lichen there might be there – and I’m told that some geologists use the lichens to tell them what the rock is. The mortar and concrete on the bridge is based on more basic/alkaline cement, so there were a few limestone species on there such as crustose Rhizocarpon umbilicatum, Placynthium nigrum, Protoblastenia rupestris and jelly lichen Scytinium gelatinosum.

Apart from in the car park, we did not see any lichen species that are indicators of nitrogen enrichment / pollution ie no Xanthoria parietina or Physcia species, so little local agricultural pollution and not much traffic. However, trees and rocks had a coating of algae consistent with more general nitrogen pollution. Historic industry on the west coast and even nitrogen from the north of Ireland may be still having an effect. It was a pleasure to see a great start to the restoration of Hardknott woods.

Text: Chris Cant
Photos: Chris Cant, Caz Walker

Cards on the table. Tilberthwaite is one of my favourite areas of the Lakes. The gnarly landscape has woods and rocks and old mines and becks and a gorge and quarries and vernacular architecture. There’s access to the Coniston Fells and it’s never as busy as Coniston itself, or nearby Langdale. On past wanderings I’ve found Bunodophoron melanocarpum and Sticta fuliginosa. And this morning, as I pulled my boots on, a Red Squirrel ran up Tilberthwaite Beck just feet away from me.

There were only five of us in the lichen party as we set off towards Penny Rigg Copper Works. This was  built in the 1860s when a new tunnel was driven through the rock for over a kilometre to the Tilberthwaite mine. But the works closed down after only a decade, and though there were one or two short reopenings, slate quarrying prevailed across the hillside for most of the next century.

Needless to say, we didn’t make it to the copper works without being distracted. A roadside outcrop provided the first saxicolous crusts of the day: Porpidia tuberculosa, Rhizocarpon reductum, Ochrolechia parella. There was also the first signs of the country rock being a bit more basic in places: Protoblastenia rupestris and Rhizocarpon petraeum.

After finally making it to the works, we were distracted by a sign that told us  “lichens thrive here”. We hoped so. And got started on the ground around the old settling ponds, where ore was separated from waste rock (gangue). A Pied Wagtail chissicked away: the ruins must be perfect breeding habitat. We soon found some of the brightly coloured metalliferous species we were hoping for- reds in the settling beds? There was Tremolecia atrata, with concave apothecia, Rhizocarpon (now Haugania) oederi with gnarly apothecia and plates of Acarospora sinopoica. We didn’t find any Lecidea silacea– maybe it’s around somewhere.

On the walls of the old crushing mill and dressing mill there was Baeomyces placophyllus, with its squamulose lobes, Gyrographa gyrocarpa, Enterographa zonata and Myriolecis antiqua.  A green crust in a crack had black perithecia with the most impressive ostioles and spores so large they could be seen in photographs of the perithecia. It’s still not clear what it is- possibly a number of things growing together. There was Sterocaulon pileatum: one of the  “Fisher Price people” was wearing a black beret of an apothecia. Despite careful observation of the sorediate Lecanoras I couldn’t find any L.  handelii. Whilst the colour of some was greyer than I might expect for L. soralifera, the soredia were rising from the areole centres and there was no UV reaction.

Moving uphill , we entered the  cleft where the adit towards Tilberthwaite mine began. The lichens reflected the probably less acid rock: there were sheets of Peltigera praetextata; Normandina pulchella and Agonimia tristicula on the mosses; Collema furfuraceum rosettes. A brown isidiate species was eventually determined to be Placynthium nigrum.

The walls of the old powder house, a separate building to minimise damage from potential explosions, were explored. There were plates of Ochrolechia parella, lots of orange apothecia from Blastenia ( was Claoplaca) crenularia and Tephromela atra. The latter supported Lecanora sulphurea growing parasitically in its early stages. Glaucomaria (was Lecanora) rupicola had Arthonia varians forming black patches on the apothecia.

Further south, where massed tree planting has recently taken place, we found Cladonia species aplenty, Scoliciosporum umbrinum on the rock and Graphis elegans grew on a stunted holly.

The day was coming towards the end…but another slate quarry distracted us. Once again it had more basic rock and lichens  including Scytinum lichenoides and a number of Caloplaca species. Some small lecanorine apothecia keyed out to Myriolecis dispersa, but didn’t look quite right. Or is that just that we normally see it in very different circumstances? Caz worked out that there was Collema glebulentum as well as more C. furfuraceum and C. flaccidum.

With a list of about 100 species we can say it was a good day in a grand place. Thank you everyone for helping make it so.

Text: Pete Martin
Photos: Chris Cant, Paul Hanson, Caz Walker, Peter Bisset, Pete Martin

Francis Rose called the woods along the Seathwaite Road  “the most important … lichenologically in northern England”. Having been several times, it is apparent that a major factor in this is that there are several different pockets within the woodland, each with different rock types, tree species and lichen communities present. Each pocket is interesting, good or even better… add them all together and you get the superlative.

All my past visits had been to the lower slopes between the bridge and the Borrowdale yews: the ancient ash and other pollards have some truly remarkable Lobarion communities. This time, however, we decided to look at the area nearer to Seatoller, where oak woods extend up the slope. So we turned through the first gate over the bridge and  immediately found Schizotrema quercicola, with pinky soredia and a P+ orange reaction. Nearby trees had clumps of the coral lichen, Sphaerophorous globosus, and Ochrolechia androgyna. There was Usnea cornuta on one oak.

That’s the Usnea being on just one tree. Virtually all the trees were oaks in this lower part of the wood. Some were old and quite bulky, but many looked to be the same sort of age. There appeared to be no regeneration, or understorey, thanks presumably to the level of grazing. Almost all the lichens we found were indicative of acid bark: one tree had Hypotrachyna taylorensis, Micarea stipitata, Ochrolechia tartarea and both Coenogniums: luteum and pineti. Nearby, we found the first H. laevigata of the day.

Just a little higher, we found what we presumed ( and was later confirmed by microscopy) to be Allographa anomala (used to be Graphis or Graphina ruizana) with raised lirellae (fancifully likened by someone to burnt sausages). There was Mycoblastus caesius too. Schismatomma umbrinum was found on  the underhang of a boulder: its cushioned thallus was almost spongy. Somewhat strangely there didn’t seem to be a lot of Usnea (or Evernia or much of any lichen in fact) in the canopy- we’d have thought more would have been brought down in recent storms. The fallen trees didn’t seem to have a lot either.

After lunch we climbed higher, and crossed the wall into High Stile Wood, spotting Parmeliopsis hyperopta on a larch. There was Thelotrema now (the yellow medulla suggested lueckingii rather than lepadinum) in profusion on some trees. And the sheer amount of Hypotrachyna taylorensis was making itself felt: I became almost blasé about it. I could easily have seen more in that one afternoon then ever in total before.  It’s a strange lichen with no apothecia, soredia or isidia. Presumably it is spread round by bits breaking off and being carried to a new tree (or rock- it will grow on mossy rocks too). We discussed the common name it is sometimes given: Tumbling Kittens. We got the tumbling but kittens? What happened to the rule that all lichen analogies have to be food-related?

We reached the top of the wood, having found Mycoblastus sanguinarius once. That took my personal Upland Rainforest Index score for the day to 9 – I’m sure that if I had taken samples I’d have made it to the magic 10 because that looked very much like Bryobilimbia sanguineotara but I’m not quite confident enough to identify it on sight.

Rocks about the trees had Haematomma ochroleucum, Pilophorus strumaticus and there was some Peltigera hymenina too. Chris and Caz later identified Psoronactis (Lecanactis) dilleniana from a wall.

Up towards the top of the wood there were more hazels. One boasted a badger skull underneath it. Coming down, on a slightly more southerly line, sharp eyes noticed something different: a Pyrenula. Discussion, with the LGBI3 key handy to refer to on a phone,  ensued. The perithecia were too big for P. chlorospila; there were no pseudocyphellae; a lot of the ostioles were on the side of the perithecia rather than in the centre. The thalli appeared perhaps less waxy, possibly more browny than others. We decided it was P. acutispora, a new one for me, but not for the site.

By then the light was beginning to fade in the woods, so we descended and headed slowly back to the car park after a very enjoyable day. Having missed the last few trips because of poorliness it was great to be out with the group again.

Text: Pete Martin
Photos: Chris Cant, Pete Martin

The weather for once smiled on this trip. A thaw had set in making it an easy drive and it was dry, even sunny – that is on the opposite side of the valley. Our woodland was on the steep north facing slope so no sun for us at this time of year. The monad has been visited many times before and already had 178 recorded lichens. Nevertheless we were able to add a few more. I suppose it shows that there are so many micro-habitats in an ancient wood with rock outcrops that it requires many visits and many eyes to examine every one.

A very good turn out of lichenogists and bryologists meant using the lay-bys all along the road to park. We split up right at the start and didn’t meet up until the end. Both groups expressed satisfaction with their finds.

From the start we were looking at some of the more common lichens on trees: Parmelia saxatilis, Parmelia sulcata, Physcia aipolia, Lecanactis abietina, Hypotrachyna laevigata, Mycoblastus sanguinarius and Thelotrema, with Lepra multipuncta showing the sorediate apothecia and K+ red-brown.

We checked on the Lobaria pulmonaria transplants and paid homage to the Ricasolia (Lobaria) virens – why should it be on this tree and not on all the others? The tree is in a small dip so maybe the microclimate? Something had dislodged a small lobe and I happened to have a mapping pin in my pocket so picking it up from the ground I slipped it into the moss on an apparently similar nearby tree. Something to look for in 10 years time.

Maybe people concentrate too much on the delightful ancient woodland species on the trees and not enough on the just lovely long-established mosaics on the rock outcrops. One of the species new to the monad was Clauzadea monticola on a rare substrate in this natural woodland – a concrete post marking an underground electricity line! Another, Lecanora gangaleoides on an otherwise uninteresting piece of fractured rock. Both are common and readily identifiable lichens. Also on the concrete was a very wet Bilimbia sabuletorum.

Something new to me was Schismatomma umbrinum, forming thick spongy buff coloured sorediate crusts on dryish sheltered rock, amongst other silicious rock species forming mosaics. It has negative chemistry but is UV+white when scratched. This uncommon species was pointed out here by John Douglass a few years ago and has since been seen elsewhere in the vicinity. It only has a handful of records in Cumbria and a very limited national distribution.

Thanks to the organisers and participants who made it such a good day out.

Text: Peter Bisset, with additions by Chris and Caz
Photos: Chris Cant, Caz Walker, Geoffrey Haigh, Will Michaels

This was a popular meeting with 11 people looking at lichens and even more at bryophytes. We car-shared to a point where a few vehicles could park at the edge of the wood and Edward Mills, the owner, gave a brief introduction. He bought the wood in 2020 and is aiming to create a mosaic of different habitats. Management includes coppicing in some areas but there are large old hazel trees too which will be retained. Deer, both roe and red, are a problem currently, limiting natural regeneration.

As you might imagine for a low-lying site (c 30m above sea level at the high points), it’s very damp underfoot with recent rain also having wetted every surface. Some lichens were doing very well in these circumstances – the first thing seen after only a few metres were stunning sheets of Baeomyces rufus covered in a sward of tiny mushroom-like fruiting bodies on exposed rock by the track. Here too we started to examine the trunks and twigs of nearby willow, birch and alder, finding various common lichens – bitter-tasting Lepra amara, Evernia prunastri pretending to be a fruticose lichen, various Hypotrachyna spp and Platismatia glauca amongst others. Further on there were oak trees on drier ground where Micarea alabastrites and Pachyphiale carneola were spotted by Allan, with Normandina pulchella and Peltigera praetextata found by Chris.

This first part of the wood was fairly dark which might account for the limited range of lichens. Further on we began to see hazel trees which overall had a good range of crustose species, especially lirellate ones (with scribble-like fruiting bodies). The best of these were in the southern part of the wood where it was more open and well-lit. Here we found red-pink pruinose Coniocarpon cinnabarinum, Coniocarpon cuspidans with immersed purple lirellae, Arthonia didyma with tiny fleck-like apothecia and Opegrapha niveoatra, as well as Graphis scripta sensu stricto. Some of these were checked under the microscope later. Throughout, on mature oak, there was a lot of Diarthonis spadicea (was Arthonia) with “arthonioid” round apothecia with blurry edges. Another nice find was the glue fungus, Hymenochaete corrugata, which bonds dead branches and twigs together above ground, so avoiding competition from other fungi.

Lunch was on the bank of the tidal Rusland Pool watercourse where there were also a few species on the wooden rails of the bridge and on a gate. These included Fuscidea lightfootii, Micarea lignaria and Candelariella vitellina.

After this we cut back across the denser wood but found several canopy species where an oak had fallen allowing us to look at the topmost twigs. Here there was Usnea subfloridana, a genus which likes lots of light so lives in the canopy until a storm brings it down to our level. Nearby rock outcrops had several nice crustose species, including pink-orange sorediate Gyrographa gyrocarpa growing with purple-brown Enterographa zonata with pale soredia, forming mosaics.

The centre of the wood has some established rhododendron which looked as though it was in the process of being tackled. Holly was frequent in the wood, a tree lichenologists tend to dislike as it casts year-long dense shade on adjacent trunks, badly affecting lichens there. On the other hand old holly trees are lovely and support good lichens. Xanthoria parietina was scarce, seen only once, which is a good thing.

As usual we had a good time with lots of lichen chat and looking at nice things in a wood new to us.

Text: Caz Walker
Photos: Chris Cant, Caz Walker