Category: Trip report

Barbondale is surprisingly little visited: if you don’t know it, you aren’t alone! You’ll find it on the map running between the Lune valley (just north of Kirkby Lonsdale) over to Dentdale (which some think the finest of the Yorkshire Dales, though these days it’s pretty much all in Cumbria). There’s a narrow road running up it, steep fellsides to north west and south east. The geology’s interesting: limestone to one side, Silurian stuff to the other; the Dent fault running up the valley bottom. The little gorges and waterfalls on the south east side were once described to me as “one of the hidden wonders of England”.

The lichen and bryophyte group gathered on a sunny and surprisingly warm morning where the roads from Casterton and Barbon meet. And, immediately, seven licheneers returned to our cars and drove up to Blindbeck Bridge. For us, the gill would be more interesting than the open fellside.

Heading down towards the junction of the gill and the main beck, a wheatear was sighted; Spring! And we found ourselves with a good starter selection of lichens. More acidic rocks had hi-vis yellow-green Rhizocarpon geographicum, brown leafy Melanelixia fuliginosa and the small sorediate thalli of Lecanora soralifera. The big frosty-pruinose apothecia of Ochrolechia parella were also to be found, perhaps indicating that some of the rocks aren’t that acidic.

There were four species of Peltigera to be seen: praetextata with small scaly isidia; hymenina with glossy lobes and ascending margins, membranacea with a tomentum (“fuzz” on the upper surface), bullate (bulging) lobes, turned-down margins  and long separate white rhizines. There was also the less common Peltigera canina, also with a tomentum and down turned tips but with rhizines that are much more branched and meet at their base.

There were a few limestone boulders too. These had some lovely white rosettes of Solenopsora candicans, black splats of Verrucaria nigrescens, the tiny orange apothecia of Protoblastenia rupestris and the stretched out lobes of Physcia caesia.

Moving up just above the bridge, we disturbed two woodcock and examined some overhanging trees: there were good examples of Pertusaria hymenea, Lepra amara and a variety of common corticolous species. Somehow, it was already lunchtime, so most of us lounged in the sun whilst others worked hard in the gill, disappearing from view in their search for jelly lichens. Their search was rewarded with Enchylium tenax and Lathagrium fuscovirens to add to the Collema flaccidum found earlier.

The afternoon saw us move a few metres upstream to a slabby sloped area, where the beck ran in the bottom of an asymmetric rocky V. Cladonias such as C. portentosa, C. cervicornis and C. uncialis biuncialis rubbed shoulders with acidic rock specialists such as Ephebe lanata and Stereocaulon vesuvianum. The latter name provided much mirth for a first-time-out-with-us retired medic. Such are the delights of lichen hunting!

A short distance upstream, and an area of varied boulders gave us metal-loving lichens such as Stereocaulon evolutum and Tremolecia atrata, together with limestone specialists like Placynthium nigrum on boulders presumably washed down from above. The hi-vis Psilolechia lucida was found in a sheltered spot and the orange UV+ reaction demonstrated.

A little further up, in a cleft just below the waterfall, was found arguably the highlight of the day: three separate large colonies of Peltigera leucophlebia. Having an algal photobiont, rather than the more common-among-Peltigera cyanobacteria, this has a lurid green colour when damp. And here it was both damp and dry! The characteristic convex cephalodia (cyanobacterial lumps) were examined closely.

We shuffled about in the beck for a while: jelly lichens were discussed and probably identified as Lathagrium auriforme and Collema glebulentum; but they were atypical specimens. And then it was time for home. We’d found some good things, and introduced several newcomers to the delights of clambering about looking at small things. The overall feeling amongst us old-timers though was that it was maybe a bit disappointing. There’s probably a lot more to find in the Barbondale gorges, but we’d need to spend more time here, and go a little higher. OK then…we’ll have to come back again!

Text: Pete Martin
Photos: Guy Broome, Chris Cant, Pete Martin

Eleven months on, we returned to Tilberthwaite. Last time we visited the old mine workings, this time the woods were our destination.

We made short work of the journey from the car park; the riverside had fewer Cladonia and Peltigera species than we were hoping for and didn’t detain us long. Immediately inside the gate of Low Coppice Wood was an Ash tree with some tiny Normandina pulchella squamules; Hazels had some Graphis species and Pertusaria leioplaca.

Then it was onto a steep slope, to look at Birches and Oaks. The trunks had Parmelia saxatilis, in varying sizes, and some Cladonia species. But little else until we were quite a way up the slope- or for some of us up and down and up the slope again: blame falling bags and a liking for shallow gradients. Once up on the low ridge, things became easier, and the lichens more interesting. There was Flavoparmelia caperata, apple-green and easily recognised, and Sphaerophorous globosus, a coral lichen with the distinctive growth form of a large, often brownish, central stem. Ochrolechia androgyna, a white crust with greenish soredia, formed large patches on trunks. There was also Hypotrachyna laevigata, an indicator of good wet acid-barked trees, with its beautiful smooth lobes, blob-on-the-lobe-ends soredia and little tree-like rhizines.

The first black apothecia I found were from Micarea lignaria: globose on a grey crust. But the next ones caused some discussion: they were on a greeny thallus overgrowing moss and were, at times definitely disc-like with a concolorous margin. Lopadium disciforme was thought to be unlikely; the margins weren’t right for Megalaria pulverea. Once home, the microscope soon showed what I was looking at: how could I have forgotten Bryobilimbia sanguineoatra? The apothecial sections have a lovely reddy-brown colour, with particles that go greeny in K.

Next up was Cetrelia olivetorum s.lat, a big leafy lichen with white pseudocyphellae (specks) and soredia. Another indicator of old woodland, this was a bit of a scrappy example, but added to the feeling that this was a good wood. The ultraviolet torch gave a distinct blue fluorescence on the flecks and the soredia, indicating that this was C. cetrarioides, by far the most common species in the aggregate. Coming down the other side of the mound we ran into some Hazels. These had the small arthonioid apothecia of Coniocarpon cuspidans (which used to be known as Arthonia elegans) and more Graphis species.

But it was time for another ascent of the slope, to visit the Bunodophoron melanocarpum colony. It has slightly flattened lobes compared to the other coral lichens and a different jointing pattern. So it can look as though little hands (or feet) are waving their fingers (or toes) at you. The fruiting bodies- and in this case it is a fertile colony- are really something special: grey horn-of-plenty trumpets with a black smudgy spore mass at the end. The colony measured getting on for 2m by 1m and is the only known one in the Windermere and Coniston catchments. Just below it, Caz found fertile Lichenomphalia ericetorum, a basidiomycete – with mushroom-like fruiting bodies just starting to grow. The same birch also had Lepraria membranacea, a powdery crust which forms lobe shapes round the edge. We descended the slope, and lunched.

After some discussion, we headed north, through an area of Larch that has so far evaded Ramorum felling. This had a different flora: lots of Hypogymnia physodes and a buff-coloured taxa we think might be Chrysothrix flavorirens. There was a little Usnea subfloridana and Bryoria fuscescens on one tree: in the South Lakes the felling of the Larches is removing the main habitat for Bryoria as a corticolous species.

Leaving the wood by a stile, we were detained by a couple of good old Oaks. There was bitter-tasting Lepra amara, and also L. albescens; one of the trees boasted Mycoblastus sanguinarius, Ochrolechia androgyna and Sphaerophorous globosus. I thought at the time it also had Ochroclechia tartarea, but close examination of a photo suggests there may well be soredia present in small quantities, so now I’m not so sure.

We made a brief entry into a second woodland: open access land on the map but with a “Private Keep Out” sign on the gate. New species for the day included Ramalina farinacea and R. fastigiata, Melanohalea exasperata with its white-tipped papillae and Stenocybe septata on an old Holly. Huge boulders called out for investigation, but it started raining and the day was getting on. So we turned around and made our way back to the cars (via, of course, a quick up and down on the flank of the slope). The bryologists had also had a good day and found some Atlantic species, so whilst Low Coppice Wood may not be the biggest, or contain the most species indicative of wet acid-barked woodland, it’s certainly a pretty decent example for South Lakeland.

Text: Pete Martin
Photos: Pete Martin, Chris Cant, Caz Walker

Troutdale is a small valley on the east side of Borrowdale immediately south of Lodore Falls. It is part of Lodore-Troutdale SSSI but not part of the Borrowdale Woods NNR. Oak woodland on the valley sides has developed on block scree and crags of Borrowdale Volcanic rock, and includes humid north facing slopes as well as brighter east and west facing aspects. Recording will focus on NY2617 which has very few records  (9 bryos and 32 lichens) and adjacent monads.

(Taken from Kerry’s introduction to the site)

We met at the National Trust Bowderstone carpark on a chilly but, thankfully, mostly dry day. A brisk walk into the main monad containing the woodland warmed us up to start with. Kerry, the organiser, had told us about good lichens on an ash, seen on an earlier visit, so we headed to that grid ref first.

Two old ash a few metres apart on a bouldery NE-facing slope appeared pollarded, though it might have happened naturally by the upper part breaking off – one was quite ragged at the top. Kerry had reported Sticta and Peltigera horizontalis, growing on the first ash and on the rocks too. Indeed there was copious Sticta sylvatica, with young lobes also on the adjacent hawthorn and elm. This ash tree also had tiny flat orange apothecia which turned out to be Gyalecta truncigena when Chris looked at the specimen under the microscope – muriform spores with the right number of cells. The second ash had Peltigera praetextata and a sward of a tiny jelly lichen amongst bryophytes. We took a small specimen as it was too moist to see properly in situ, thinking it might be Scytinium  teretiusculum, but once dried out it was blue-grey not brown with no underlying lobes and had a photobiont other than Nostoc. It’s as yet unidentified but may be the rare Leptogidium dendriscum, not seen in Cumbria since 1988.

We crossed the beck where there were more ash trees and a couple of mature holly. Here the holly had lirellate crusts and some deep green areolate thalli with dark perithecia. Spores confirmed  Porina genus, followed by wrestling with involucrellum colour in water then KOH – was there purple or grey pigment? The eventual conclusion was that we had both P byssophila and P borreri. Hawthorn beside the beck had the only Xanthoria parietina and Physcia tenella that we saw during the visit.

The slope above was a struggle with vegetated scree and lots of brambles which drew blood. Here the trees were mostly oak and birch plus a few rowan. Most of the oak didn’t have much to be seen which was perplexing. Eventually we had Platismatia glauca on a blown down stick – in an oak wood this should be plentiful. Then a better oak had the first Thelotrema lepadinum (old woodland species) of the day, plus Micarea stipitata with pale white-pink stalked pycnidia over moss. Hypotrachyna taylorensis on a birch was nice to see.

The bryophyte people had been looking at the beck and Ryan had seen green Peltigera leucophlebia, with distinctive cephalodia (warts on the upper surface containing cyanobacteria which fix nitrogen). This is another indicator of at least some base richness. Nearby birch had lovely acid bark species – Megalaria pulverea (pale yellowish granules and dark apothecia with a pale rim, K+yellow), Mycoblastus caesius (scurfy thin thallus with soredia but bright in UV) and Hypotrachyna laevigata (a beautiful foliose lichen with pearly blue-grey lobes, distinct round axils and blobs of soredia only at lobe tips).

A final find in the dusk as we were heading back to the carpark was a lovely large patch of Baeomyces rufus on a rock. On closer examination we saw discoloured areas and some of the pink-brown stalked apothecia of the B rufus were blackened with possible pycnidia visible. This might be a lichenicolous fungus, a likely candidate being Arthrorhaphis grisea.

The day was bookended by two different lichen communities: Lobarion on two basic-barked old ash at the start in one part of the site and acidic bark lichens on old birch towards the end in another  location. Ash trees elsewhere in the wood didn’t show signs of having basic bark, perhaps influenced by differences in the geology (andesite volcanic rock) affecting soil and groundwater and therefore the pH of tree bark. Bands of calcite can also be found associated with these rocks. We’re constantly looking for reasons why the same tree species growing near one another can support different lichen communities.

There were lots of signs of deer presence – droppings, hoof prints, browsed shoots – and no regeneration seen apart from a few holly seedlings. We saw only one hazel which is unusual. The lichen list for the day was about 80 species and would be lots more with further exploration.

Troutdale is an interesting site which, as usual, would warrant another visit as we only saw a small part of the whole.

Text: Caz Walker
Photos: Caz Walker, Chris Cant, Kerry Milligan, Ryan Clark

After weeks of rain, all the lichens were soaking but we had a couple of dry hours at Thirlmere north of Launchy Gill before it got wet again. Our route passed through areas where the conifers had been felled and cleared. Quite a few of the remaining trees were blown over and the ground was steep and bouldery, with much moss and algae on the east-facing slopes and trees. So, the ground was rough underfoot and the habitat had changed considerably over years reducing the ecological continuity.

The Thirlmere reservoir was opened in 1894, damming the natural lake, a first supply of water for Manchester from the Lake District, majorly supplemented by Haweswater in the 20th century. It was accompanied by the planting of many conifers that dominate the lower slopes of the surrounding hills. However, we found several native tree species in our complete list of ash, beech, birch, hazel, larch, oak and spruce/pine species. Perhaps these were remnants of what was there before. There was regen of the beech and conifers.

In 2022/2023, Cumbria Woodlands did a project at Thirlmere to help restore ancient woodland sites to their former condition ie on Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) sites, including beech thinning, rhododendron removal, deer management and removal of Western Hemlock. There is on-going wildlife monitoring and we may have been caught on a trail cam or two.

Our lichen species list so far has 69 species across two monads on bark, lignum and rocks. The geology was shown as andesite, a sometimes more basic rock, and there was very little Rhizocarpon geographicum. However we found no basic rock lichens such as jellies. There were very few Peltigera species. The small outcrops and boulders had some of the usual suspects including Baeomyces rufus. Pete found a lovely Cladonia caespiticia with mushroom-like fruit and a thallus that goes P+red. Nearby Helen fretted over a terricolous Cladonia that went P+orange but was too small to identify. Chris found a very soggy Micarea alabastrites on a birch whose white fruit were translucent in the wet, going C+red. Caz had Coniocarpon cinnabarinum on hazel.

As forecast, the rain started around lunchtime and we made our way back to the road. As Pete said: the lichens were swollen and were covered by a film of water, both sides of the hand lens were wet, the outside of his glasses were wet and the inside was steamed up.

There was a brief respite so we took the path below the road back to our starting point before heading home for an early bath.

Text: Chris Cant
Photos: Chris Cant

We met in a layby just north of Glenridding, and stepped into winter. Brrr! It was windy too. But a quick stroll along the road warmed us a little and then we were into the wood and the wind was forgotten. The bryo folk sped off upslope, leaving just us three lichenologists zig-zagging slowly uphill.

For some reason, there’s been relatively little recording of the lichens in Glencoyne Wood, despite it being close by the relatively well-known hotspots of Glencoyne Park, Aira Force and Yew Crag. Chris and Caz’s recce had included the northern side, overlooking the delightfully-named Seldom Seen. They had found Ricasolia virens, Pachyphiale carneola and Nephroma parile. So I was hoping for a bit of Lobarion. The thick-trunked old Oaks at the bottom of the slope looked promising.

Quickly, we found Thelotrema– the first I looked at had yellow under the apothecia and went red with K so I called it as T. lueckingii. There was lots of Thelotrema. Lots and lots. Other white splats on the mostly wet trunks included Pertusaria pertusa and P. hymenea. Foliose trunk species included Parmelia saxatilis and Melanelixia glabratula. The Hazels had some good thalli of Graphis scripta s. lat, and a Birch had Hypotrachyna laevigata. But mostly the trees were Oaks, thick-trunked Oaks with more Thelotrema than I could shake my stick at. But it wasn’t on all the oaks: on one “Thelotrema-free” tree we found- and discussed- the white pycnidia of Micarea stipitata. And were those apothecia?  

Caz had found Leptogium cyanescens in 2019 on the lowest outcrop.  Close examination found two other jelly lichens- Collema glebulentum and Scytinium lichenoides, but no cyanescens. Peltigera horizontalis was found just along the crag. We edged our way up and had lunch.

Higher up it felt a little drier, and a little lighter. Open areas had Cladonia portentosa and furcata growing on the mosses. The suggestion that we should measure Cladonia patches in Reindeer portions fell on stony ground. Sphaerophrous globosus started appearing on the rocks- and even the occasional tree. Some outcrops were really covered in coral!

The drier side of the Oaks began to have more Lecanactis abietina: the purpley-grey thallus has white-tipped pycnidia that go red with C. There was Chrysothrix candelaris too- yellow streaks that look like spray paint. A loud rush surprised me- dozens of Wood pigeons landed in the canopy nearby. Nuthatches called.

Higher still there was a rosette on the moss on the ground- Hypotrachyna taylorensis. Always an interesting species as it has no fruiting bodies or apparent asexual reproductive structures. It must spread by just having bits break off. This was a healthy looking patch but…where had it come from? We looked around suspiciously, but failed to find the source.

A last push up the slope gave lovely views along Ullswater. There was more Mycoblastus sanguinarius here, in places looking really red. There was Hypocenomyce scalaris and Parmeliopsis hyperopta– acid bark specialists- on the conifers. We found our first Pseudevernia furfuracea of the day too- this didn’t go red with C, so was var. furfuracea. In contrast to the lack of regeneration lower down there were prolific thickets of young Larch up here. Presumably they are not so palatable to the marauding Herdwicks that seem to call the wood home.

But it was getting darker. Our descent was quicker, if significantly more jolted by rocks and snagged by Brambles. There was more Peltigera horizontalis growing on an Ash- we’d not seen many of these- and then my favourite find of the day: Cetrelia olivetorum. I’d never bothered with trying to work out which of the subspecies of this I had found before… but Caz suggested shining UV onto it and there was a beautiful purply white edging to the lobes from the soredia. Cetrelia cetrarioides it is then. Sadly, it was far too late and dark to be fiddling about trying to take a photo.

So, it was a good day. We found some good things. Glencoyne wood is definitely interesting. We found no Xanthoria and just one Physcia. We got up to 9 on the Upland Rainforest Index score, all from just one line taken on one side of the wood. The more acid-bark loving species contrasted with what had been found before on the north-facing slope. Will this be to do with exposure to pollution, or tree make-up, or better moisture retention on one side? Or is it something else entirely? We’ll just have to come back for a second look and see what the evidence suggests.

Text: Pete Martin
Photos: Chris Cant, Pete Martin, Caz Walker

I know of three Cumbrian Borrowdales. The first, that we have visited repeatedly over the years, is justifiably famous for its lichens (as well as things like rain, tea bread, Yews and Gates). As for the second… well I’d never spent much time looking at its lichens, and neither had anyone else. So, on a day when rain was forecast to sweep in, six of us gathered at its Lune Gorge end to make a start on exploring them. The M6, just yards away, roared continually in the background.

It was a bit of a race against the rain. The eponymous Borrowdale Wood was dry underfoot, which it probably isn’t very often given the predominance of old Alder, with some Ash and Hazel. There was the occasional Holly higher up and the odd Birch, Rowan and Hawthorn. There’s some regeneration which was nice to see, though much of that was epicormic growth at the base.

We quickly got to grips with the common macrolichens for the day: Hypotrachyna revoluta and afrorevoluta, Parmelia sulcata, Ramalina farinacea, Punctelia subrudecta. There was Normandina pulchella aplenty and several of the lirellate species that used to all be lumped together as Graphis scripta. A number of the often-poorly-from-dieback Ashes had Peltigera horizontalis, which was nice to see, though there was more P. praetextata and membranacea as one might expect. There was Stenocybe pullatula on the Alders; the tiny little pin-like fruiting bodies of one of the non-lichenised fungi that are recorded traditionally by lichenologists. Its cousin, S. septata was on at least one of the older Hollies. There didn’t seem to be that much of interest on the Hazels, as they appeared very mossy, even though they are pretty old. We did find Thelotrema lepadinum on one though. And there was a nice example of Coenogonium luteum’s apricot apothecia on another.

There were things missing though. As in many Cumbrian woodlands, we only found the four commonest Southern Oceanic Woodland Index lichens (Thelotrema, P. horzontalis, S. septata and Anisomeridium ranunculosporum). There was nothing that appears on the Upland Rainforest Index, even though it’s a damp, mostly acid-barked ancient woodland. And there was no Usnea. There was some Xanthoria parietina, though less than we might have feared.

As we moved higher up through the wood we found more white splats of Pertusaria and Ochrolechia species. There were the multi-furrowed lirellae of Graphis elegans; the tiny conical and pointed pycnidia of Anisomeridium polypori. We stopped for lunch just below a low fence. The rain started.

We moved reasonably quickly (for us) downhill and over to the other side of the valley (but stayed in the same grid square). More widely spaced Oaks and Ashes provided the first Hypogymnia of the day, and a few more fairly common species. Less common were Normandina chlorococca (tiny black eyeball-like perithecia protruding from green squamules) on one of the Ashes and the tiny jelly lichen Scytinium subtile that eagle-eyed Caz found on another. Chris found a mouse in a tree.

We could see how little of the first woodland we had explored. Let alone further up the valley. And the wood on this north side looked tangled and steep. It was getting wetter… so we decided to call it a day early in the afternoon, but with the knowledge that there’s interesting stuff here, even if there are still strange absences. Is that to do with pollution from the traffic heading up and down the Lune Gorge? The steam trains of yesteryear? Will there be Usnea higher up? We’ll have to come back for another look. And maybe I’ll go and have a look at the third Cumbrian Borrowdale sometime soon too…

Text: Pete Martin
Photos: Chris Cant and Pete Martin

Our September trip was to Glasson Moss with the aim of enjoying some sphagnum practice at one of the best examples of a lowland raised bog in Cumbria (and perhaps all of England!). Three group members (Josie, Ryan and Clare) were joined by the West Cumbria Rivers Trust (WCRT) and their cohort of new apprentices, who, not three days into their roles, were met with the challenging task of distinguishing one sphagnum species from another.

We started by reviewing the 7 sphagnum sections (or 6, depending on whether you take out Spaghnum tenellum into its own group or not!) and understanding the key characteristics that are diagnostic for identification. We examined the sizes of cortexes, fascicle numbers, and stem leaf shapes, and discussed the role of colour and habitat for clues towards what species might be present in areas of different water influences. Autumn is the best time of year to visit bog sites; the sphagnum colours are their strongest, and this really could be seen in the vibrant deep red of Sphagnum medium, a key indicator for healthy ombrotrophic (rain-fed) sites. Many sphagnum samples can only be truly confirmed under a microscope, so going to a site like Glasson with well-known species lists and grid references was a great way to discuss field characteristics of rarer species such as Sphagnum pulcrum and Sphagnum fuscum.

We headed into the wet woodland towards the north of the site, providing both a rain-sheltered lunch spot and some species diversity for recording practice. Here, the apprentices were introduced to epiphytes (both of the vascular and non-vascular variety)  with some nice patches of Metzgeria violacea and Radula complanata. We were also able to compare some large versions of Sphagnum palustre and Sphagnum squarrosum to really get an idea of leaf shape and form, comparing the hooded-tips to squarrose leaves.

After lunch, the apprentices went their own way to have a quick identification practice while we went further out onto the bog to look for some of the rarer species. We managed to find some mounds of brownish Sphagnum and spent some time discussing whether it was really S. fuscum or just a brownish example of S. capillifolium. On microscopical examination later it did prove to be S. fuscum. We also found a small patch of the very rare Dicranum undulatum, and some Sphagnum patches that had lots of tiny liverworts growing through. As well as the common Calypogeia fissa and Cephalozia connivens, we were pleased to confirm Calypogeia sphagnicola (with mainly unsegmented oil bodies, compared to multiple-segmented in C. fissa) in the first find at this site for more than 50 years, and Cephalozia macrostachys, with small cells and very distinctive yellow cell walls in stem cross-sections. This species was also last recorded here in the 1950s. Also quite common across the bog, growing on Sphagnum, were Odontoschisma Sphagni and Kurzia pauciflora, including some lovely fertile examples with very ciliate perianths as well as male shoots. In one area there were healthy patches of Mylia anomala growing through the sphagnum.

As well as these interesting liverworts, we were able to confirm Sphagnum capillifolium, S. compactum,S.  cuspidatum, S. fimbriatum, S. fuscum, S. medium, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. pulchrum, S. rubellum, S. squarrosum, S. subnitens and S. tenellum.

This trip to Glasson provided a great opportunity for the group to work alongside the WCRT and upskill some new ecologists, as well as refreshing some quite rusty sphagnum knowledge among the regular team! Thanks to all those that attended.

Text and photos: Josie Niemira and Clare Shaw