Tag: Lichens

Vascular plants and Lichens at Newtimber Holt, South Downs scarp face ancient woodland, West Sussex, nr. Brighton. 17.05.25

Newtimber Holt is a small but very biological interesting area of ancient woodland on Newtimber Hill. It is owned by the National Trust and managed by Saddlescombe Farm. It is probably the most interesting chalk scarp face ancient wood along the eastern South Downs. It is easily reachable by Stagecoach bus 17 stops Newtimber, Redhouse Farm or Newtimber, Beggar’s Lane Stagecoach 17 Timetable

When we think of ancient woodland, many people may think about our Temperate Rain Forest (Atlantic Woodland) in northwest Scotland, north Wales of the West Country. Or we may think of our nationally famous medieval royal deer parks, e.g. the New Forest, Hatfield Forest, or Windsor Great Park (pasture woodland).

Or if we’re in Sussex, we may think of our High Weald ancient Ghyll Woods, which have microclimates similar to Atlantic woodland; or Sussex’s medieval deer parks (pasture woodland) e.g. Parham Park, or the (very rare) chalk dry valley woods, e.g., East Dean Park Wood (itself once a Medieval deer park) or the very rare dip slope ancient woodland of Pad’s Wood. Or perhaps we may think the numerous small ancient woods, some tiny, relict stands, of the Sussex Low Weald; although much ancient woodland in the Low Weald has been lost to development, especially new housing, especially in the Brighton to Crawley corridor of Hassocks, Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath.

The ancient woodland of the scarp slopes of the South Downs relicts of the former wider woodland that covered the South Downs, which was cleared and then grazed by sheep in the distant past, are probably least known ancient woodland in the UK. When we think of the Down’s we think of its historic sheep gazed short calcareous grassland that supports rare vascular plants and invertebrates; it is biologically magnificent and of national ecological importance, and itself rare now that business arable and pastoral farming has taken so much of the short grassland. But “23% of the South Downs National Park is covered by woodland, [but only half of this [11.5%] has been there for over 400 years [ancient woodland]. “ Trees of the South Downs

Only 4% of the South Downs is calcareous short grassland;  almost exactly the same percentage as when the national park came into being. When we think of the South Downs we think of rolling hills of short calcareous grassland; but very little of it is that; most of it is farmed arable land, and 23% is woodland (with only half of that being ancient woodland).

It is important to separate ancient woodland from ancient trees. Woodland classed as Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland, which are mainly made up of trees and other vascular plants native to the site, that have constantly regenerated for over 500 years, some have very few or no ancient trees; they are just areas that have been wooded continuously since at least 1600. Very few trees in ancient woodland are themselves ancient; although some might be.

Many notable, veteran, and ancient trees can be found not in ancient woods but in pasture, former deer parks or hedges. For example, many of the most ancient Pendunculate Oaks, Quercus robur, of the Low Weald are in grazing pasture, probably relicts of former woodland that was cleared for pasture and left for shelter for livestock, or planted as field, parish or other boundaries in hedgerows

At Newtimber Holt there are some magnificent ancient trees in ancient Woodland

This post attempts to refocus our attention  on the ancient woodland of the scarp faces of the South Downs. There are areas of ancient woodland on the dip slopes of South Downs in West Sussex; but most of these are replanted ancient woodland, replanted with conifers or Sweet Chestnut. There are a few notable exceptions, such as Pads Wood (private), which is still ancient and semi-natural woodland.

An ancient Drovers Route through Newtimber Holt

Natural England’s, Ancient Woodland map

from: https://naturalengland-defra.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/a14064ca50e242c4a92d020764a6d9df

Screen captures Ordnance Survey Map App and Nature England Ancient Woodland online map © Crown Copyright

Ancient Woodland Indicator Vascular Plants at Newtimber Halt

Ancient Woodland Indicator Vascular Plants are listed in Francis Rose Indicators of ancient woodland – the use of vascular plants in evaluating ancient woods for nature conservation, British Wildlife 10.4 April 1999

Acer campestre Field Maple

Allium ursinum Ramsons

Asplenium scolopendrium Hart’s-tongue Fern

Hyacinthoides non-scripta Bluebell

Ilex aquifolium European Holly

Lamium galeobdolon Yellow Archangel

Melica uniflora Wood Melick

Mercurialis perennis Dog’s Mercury

Polystichum setiferum Soft Shield Fern

Sanicula europaea Sanicle

Ulmus glabra Wych Elm

Veronica montana Wood Speedwell

Other vascular plants

Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry

Primula veris Cowslip

Rosa canina Dog-Rose

Silene dioica Red Campion

Cardamine flexuosa Wavy Bittercress

Geum urbanum Wood Avens

Ajuga reptans Bugle

Geranium robertianum Herb Robert

Genus Rubus Brambles

Lithospermum officinale Common Gromwell

Veronica chamaedrys Germander Speedwell

Sanguisorba minor Salad Burnet

A view of a woodland glade in Newtimber Holt

Arum maculatum Cuckoo-Pint

Viola riviniana Common Dog-Violet

Carex sylvatica Wood Sedge

Poa trivialis Rough Meadow-Grass

Rumex sanguineus Wood Dock

Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup

Creeping Buttercup, Wood Dock and Rough Meadow Grass

Trees

Tilia platyphyllos Large-leaved Lime

Large leaved lime is the rarest [of the Limes] and although planted for several hundred years most ancient trees are confined to woodland coppice on chalk or limestone soils. Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory

The Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory, shows these veteran (green flags) at Newtimber Hold.

To search the Ancient Tree Inventory for you area, click here.

Screen shot of https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/tree-search/?v=2775353&ml=map&z=16&nwLat=50.90261902476064&nwLng=-0.20810587989501528&seLat=50.89620438008731&seLng=-0.1753185568969684

Fraxinus excelsior Ash

Quercus robur English Oak

Sambucus, nigra Elder and Hawthorn, Crataegus monpgyna

Corylus avellana Hazel

Taxus baccata English Yew

Fagus sylvatica Beech There are several veteran Beech at Newtimber

 144ft beech in Sussex named Britain’s tallest native tree

A beech tree on the South Downs in West Sussex is thought to be almost 200 years old and beat the previous champion by 3ft

A beech tree standing 144ft (44 metres) high has been declared the tallest native tree in Britain.

The tree, which is thought to be almost 200 years old, stands in Newtimber Woods on the National Trust’s Devil’s Dyke Estate in West Sussex, in the South Downs landscape.

The discovery of a new record for the tallest native tree title was made by Owen Johnson, the honourable registrar for the Tree Register, a charity which holds records of more than 200,000 exceptional trees in Britain and Ireland.

He was alerted to the possible new champion, one of a clump of trees planted together which has achieved its great height by continued competition to reach the light and being allowed to grow unmanaged for 90 years, by dendrologist Peter Bourne.

Beech tree standing 144 feet (44 metres) high has been declared the tallest native tree in Britain
The full height of Britain’s champion native tree. Photograph: John Miller/National Trust/PA

Dr Johnson said: “I didn’t quite believe Peter when he said the tallest tree in the woods could be 44 metres tall as I know the South Downs so well. When I finally got around to visiting I found my scepticism entirely unjustified. Guardian 15.04.2915 Press Association

Lichens

On Large Leaved Lime

Lepraria finkii Fluffy Dust Lichen

Phlyctis argena Whitewash Lichen

On Beech

Enterographa crassa

Enterographa crassa is often found in the bases of old beech trees, but it is very difficult to see as it is very small. Their Apothecia (fruiting bodies, in this species, tiny black dots are usually very numerous, brown-black, deeply immersed, without a rim, minutely punctiform or ± broadly elliptical in surface view, 0.1–0.25 × 0.05–0.1 mm, often in dotted or thread-like lines British Lichen Society Enterographa crassa

Cladonia caespiticia Stubby-stalked Cladonia

Fuscidea lightfootii

Lecidella elaeochroma Lecidella Lichen

Xanthoria parietina Golden Shield Lichen

On Ash

Flavoparmelia caperata Common Greenshield Lichen

Parmotrema perlatum Black Stone Flower

Punctelia jeckeri Powdered Speckled Shield Lichen

Hypotrachyna afrorevoluta

Parmelia sulcata Netted Shield Lichen

On Hazel

Probably Graphis scripta Common Script Lichen; very common on Hazel and other smooth-barked trees. The Graphidaceae (script lichen) family can only be definitively identified to species level with microscopy of spores.

Arthonia atra

Unknown Tree

Punctelia subrudecta Powdered Speckled Shield Lichen

Older tree relics in replanted ancient woodland: Fittleworth Wood and Chance Copse. 22.03.25

Natural England and the Forestry Commission describes ancient woodland as:

any area that’s been wooded continuously since at least 1600 AD. It includes:

  • plantations on ancient woodland sites – replanted with conifer or broadleaved trees that retain ancient woodland features, such as undisturbed soil, ground flora and fungi
  • ancient semi-natural woodland mainly made up of trees and shrubs native to the site, usually arising from natural regeneration

There is only one Ancient, Veteran or Notable tree listed in Fittleworth Wood in the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory; the “notable” Quercus robur above

but there are other Oaks, Quercus robur, and Beech, Fagus sylvatica, amongst the mostly replanted Sweet Chestnut

Fittleworth Forest is designated by Natural England as mostly ancient semi-natural woodland, with compartments of replanted ancient woodland

Natural England Ancient Woodland Open Data

The smaller compartments are listed as Replanted Ancient Woodland; but all of the woodland looked to have been replanted to me, with a few relics of older trees.

The British Lichen Society has no records for the monads (1k x 1k squares) of Fittleworth Forest

which suggests that it has not been of wood of significance for lichenologists; although there are many monads with no records, not because there of little lichenological interest but because there are very few lichen recorders.

Some of the most beautiful tree relics – of the times before replanting occurred – are some ancient boundary banks of Oak, Quercus robur and Beech, Fagus sylvatica. Theses banks and trees are also a propitious habitat for bryophytes (mosses and liverworts)

There are some more notable Pendunculate Oak surviving amongst the huge area of coppiced Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa

These Oaks are richer in terms lichens than the Sweet Chestnut; although very old stools of felled coppiced Sweet Chestnut can have rich assemblages of Cladonia spp. lichens; but the Sweet Chestnut in Fittleworth wood is to too young to have much lichen diversity, with only Cladonia coniocraea evident:

Many of the Oaks have much Common Greenshield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata.

Flavoparmelia caperata is in the Parmelion community of lichens that demonstrate that a tree is probably older than 50 years.

Young coppiced Sweet Chestnut mostly have Pertusaria spp., especially Pertusaria leioplaca, and Graphidaceae family lichens e.g. Graphis sctipta sensu lato.

Sweet Chestnut

Pertusaria leioplaca

Probably Graphis scripta s.l.

Script lichens are of the Graphidion community and start growing toward the end of the first year of a trunk’s life. The Graphidaceae family require spore microscopy to identify to species level.

Amongst the sweet chestnut there were  a lot of Leucobryum spp. mosses

And where felled trees had been and burnt, there were areas of Funaria hygrometrica Bonfire Moss, as would be expected.

Funaria hygrometrica

As I moved eastwards, and down from the higher ground of Fittleworth Wood, into the valley of Chance Copse, the ground flora seemed much more indicative of ancient woodland soil despite the presence still of much replanted woodland, but not dominated by Sweet Chestnut. Large amounts of replanted Sweet Chestnut does not seem propitious for the growth of ancient woodland ground flora from the seed bank of ancient woodland soil.

Plants like Hairy Woodrush, Luzula pilosa; Wildlife Daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus and Primrose, Primula vulgaris in Chance Wood are ancient woodland indictor plants; these were absent in Fittleworth Wood.

The banks of the stream in Chance Copse have many wet flushes arising from springs in the greensand; these are probably a good habitat for rare bryophytes, but I had little time as it was getting dark by the time I got to Chance Corpse I only found a few common bryophytes:

Thuidium tamariscinum

Hesworth Common, Fittleworth. A Lost Woods of the Low Weald and Downs lichen walk. 22.03.25

On Saturday 22.03.25 I led a Lost Woods of the Low Weald and Downs lichen walk for the Sussex Wildlife Trust Storrington and Arun Valley Regional Group at Hesworth Common, Fittleworth. The common is owned and managed by Fittleworth Community & Parish Council who gave their permission to hold the walk there.

Here are some of the lichens we saw:

Hypogyny tubulosa Powder-headed Tube Lichen, on Pendunculate Oak

Cladonia furcata Many-forked Cladonia; growing on the ground of the heathland

Lepraria finkii Fluffy Dust Lichen

For more lichens at Hesworth Common, see: The diversity of lichens on a Pendunculate Oak, Quercus robur, at Hesworth Common, Fittleworth 11.03.25

Lag Wood. A Lost Woods of the Low Weald and South Downs lichen walk. 20.03.25

On Thursday 20.03.25 I led a walk for the Lost Woods of the Low Weald and South Downs at Lag Wood; this is a private wood, and the owner gave us permission to do so, and she accompanied us. This was part of the National Lottery Open Week; an opportunity for The National Lottery-funded projects to give lottery players a reward; so all the participants had to bring a lottery ticket or scratch card that they had bought!

Here are a few of the many the lichens we saw.:

Normandina pulchella, Elf Ear lichen, growing on Myriocoleopsis minutissima Minute Pouncewort on Ash

Lecanora chlarotera on Pedunculate Oak

Amandinea punctata, Tiny Button Lichen on Hornbeam. Very similar to Lecidella eleachroma; separatable by chemical reagent spot test

Ramalina farinacea on Pedunculate Oak

Pertusaria leioplaca on Hornbeam

The diversity of lichens on a Pendunculate Oak, Quercus robor, at Hesworth Common, Fittleworth. 17.03.25

I met with representatives from the Sussex Wildlife Trust’s Storrington and Arun Valley Region Group to plan the route and risk assessment for a community introduction to lichens walk on Saturday.

We saw some lovely common lichens, see below, and some rarer lichens like Cladonia foliacea, Summer Snow (named thus because the white underside of its squamules turn up when desiccated).

Common lichens are really important on introduction walks; as those are the lichens people are likely to see when they are walking through the countryside on their own. Moreover, knowledge of common lichens is ecologically useful. Common lichens can be used as markers of ecological wellbeing: the effects of climate change, and the outcomes of habitat management of the site, on lichen abundance, if people re-survey and note increases or deceases in abundance of common lichens.

To be able to recognise a common lichen and know its name, even if it’s just a vernacular English name, it is necessary to recognise it’s growth form (crustose, foliose, fruiticose, leprose and cladoniform) and the names of  their parts  e.g. thallus [body], apothecia [fruiting body of fungal spores], soredia [sexual propagules of fungal hyphae and alga/cyanobacterium cells], podetia [tube on a Cladonia], etc. This is the starting point for a love of lichens; add in a hand lens, and you are a budding amateur lichenologist.

Hemsworth Common has trees (mosyly Pendunculate Oak, Silver Birch, Scots Pine) on which there are many corticolous (tree living) lichens, and lowland heath, dominated by heathers and Billbury, amongst which grow many terriculous (ground living) lichens, especially Cladonia species

Two common lichens:

The VERY common Common Greenshield Lichen! Flavoparmelia caperata. But with apothecia, which is rare.

Evernia prunastri, Oak Moss Lichen – not a moss!

And a slightly rarer lichen, but one that really stands out on the bark of a tree: Chrysothrix candelaris, Gold Dust Lichen

and a rarer one:

Cladonia foliacea, Summer Snow

After the joint walk, I stayed on and continued surveying and found a Pendunculate Oak with a particular rich diversity of common lichens:

Lecidella eleachroma (black apothecia) and Lecanora carpinea.

Physcia aipolia (black apothecia) and Ramalina farinacea (with floury soredia on its lobes (straps))

Naetrocymbe punctiformis (central lichen with invisible thallus) this is very hard to identify

Lecanora chlarotera

Pertusaria leioplaca

A fabulous ancient Yew, Taxus baccata; with the lichens Zwackhia prosodea & Opegrapha vermicellifera. St. Giles’ Church, Coldwaltham, West Sussex, 17.03.25

On the way to Hesworth Common, Fittleworth, to undertake a recce for a lichen walk there on Saturday, I took a detour to Coldwaltham from Pulborough (a four mile walk there and back to Pulborough). I went because I knew there was an ancient yew there; famous for being 3000 years old. It is clearly not 3000 years old, but it is a very old yew. I though it was an good candidate to have Zwackhia prosodea growing on it. I have seen Z. prosodea, growing on the ancient yew in East Chilton’s churchyard; it is a very characteristic lichen. I searched the British Lichen Society’s database: there are 174 records of the lichen in East and West Sussex; none of them on this yew; despite the churchyard being surveyed by Francis Rose in 1992.

But it was there!

A very southern lichen of dry bark on veteran trees, mainly Oak, often in mildly nutrient enriched habitats. Characterised by the bulky tall curved to serpentine lirellae with the disk a persistent slit and the dry bark habitat. British Lichen Society – Zwackhia prosodea

The churchyard at Coldwaltham contains a slightly controversial yew tree – slightly controversial because on occasions when experts have suggested the tree may not be quite as old as people believed it to be there has sometimes been a bit of a backlash from the villagers. Part of the reason for this is that the ancient tree is sometimes cited as evidence for a much older church on the current site. Another may be that some people claim that the tree as one of the oldest in the country – either way, it’s a magnificent being. It certainly looks pretty ancient. West Sussex Info Coldwaltham

Entry in the Ancient Yew Group register: Tree ID: 366 Yews recorded: Ancient 7m+ Tree girth: 1049cm Girth height: at 15cm Tree sex: female Source of earliest mention: 1885: Measured by Rev. W.H. Starling (1958 E.W. Swanton)

Under the Zwackhia prosodea was the lichen Opegrapha vermicellifera

Occurs in shaded, dry recesses of basic-barked trees, rare on rock. Smooth greyish thallus, usually sterile with small, prominent pycnidia with white or pale grey pruina. Pycnidia semi-immersed when young, chestnut brown with pale ostiole.  Dorset Lichens – Opegrapha vermicellifera

The Yew was hollow inside

Lichens at Sussex Wildlife Trust’s Selwyns Wood, Cross-in-Hand. 14.03.25

On Friday, I visited Selwyns Wood to help their volunteers identify the lichens in the site. The list of what we found is at the end of this post

It was particularly pleasing to see Coniocarpon cinnabarinum, previously Arthonia cinnaborina, an old woodland indicator species. I see this lichen rarely; not because it is particularly rare, but because it is very difficult to see. “Can be common in old woodlands on shaded, smooth bark of young trees and branches” Dorset Lichens. This lichen is named after Cinnabar, the red ore of mercury.

Another lichen that was good to see was Thelotrema lepadinum, Bark Barnacles, an indicator of ancient woodland

Both of these lichens are indicators of ancient woodland even though they weren’t growing on ancient tress; both were on relatively recent on Sweet Chestnut, Castanea sativa.

In the area of heathland, as one would expect, there were Cladonia spp. growing on lignum, including Cladonia polydactyla

Cladonia caespiticia

and Cladonia squamosa 

On the side of an enormous bundle-planted Beech, there was Elf Ear lichen, Normandina pulchella

These are the lichens that we saw.

Lecidella eleachroma
Fuscidea lightfootii
Flavoparmelia caperata
Parmelia sulcata
Parmotrema perlatum
Ramalina farinacea
Ramalina fastigiata
Lecanora chlarotera
Pyrrhospora quernea
Graphis scripta s. l.
Anthonia atra s.l.
Pertusaria pertusa
Pertusaria hymenea
Pertusaria leioplaca
Thelotrema lepadinum
Normandina pulchella
Coniocarpon cinnabarinum
Cladonia squamosa
Cladonia coniocraea
Cladonia caespiticia
Cladonia polydactyla
Lepraria finkii
Lepraria incana
Lepraria vouauxii
Melanelixia glabratula
Phlyctis argena
Xanthoria parietina
Lecanactis abietina

A Lichen Walk at Cow Wood, Handcross. 10.03.25. Highlight: Fertile Hypotrachyna revoluta

I led a free lichen walk at Cow Wood (Nymans Woodland), Handcross on Monday. To find out about my next free lichen walk see: Sim’s Lichen Walks

Cow Wood is a stunning high weald ghyll wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, which is of great importance for Atlantic bryophytes typically found in Atlantic Woodland, see SSSI citation.

We saw many interesting lichens, including sheets of Lecanactis abieitina covering whole sides of many Pedunculate Oaks, Quercus robur.

Lecanactis abietina with its “frothy beer cup” (Francis Rose) apothecia:

One of the participants spotted fertile Hypotrachyna revoluta sensu lato, with abundant apothecia. British Lichen Society: apothecia rare:

We looked at a log pile of felled trees, covered in Ramalina farinacea, Evernia prunastri, Ramalina fastigiata, Parmotrema perlalatum and Flavoparmelia caperata. I knew from my recce of Cow Wood that there was some Usnea cornuta in this log pile – not much! – but the participants found it:

There is some Tunbridge Filmy Fern,  Hymenophyllum tunbrigense,  at Cow Wood; we found some that had the Cladonia caespiticia growing on it. I have never seen this combination before:

If you want to join my next free lichen walk,  Saturday 12th April, RSPB Broadwater Warren, nr. Tunbridge Wells, email me: simeon[dot]elliott[at]proton[dot].me

Two days; two introduction to lichen walks; some magic moments. Saturday & Sunday 01 & 02/03/35

I often lead introduction to lichen walks – either for community nature organisations; the Lost Woods of the Low Weald and South Downs (Woodland Trust); Changing Chalk (National Trust and Lewes Railway Land Wildlife Trust) or RSPB Pagham Harbour, or my own free lichen walks, see: Lichen Walks

I love doing them. I am a lichen enthusiast, definitely not a lichen expert, and I have a real love of engaging local communities in nature, particularly in lichens.

On Saturday I co-led a walk with a bryologist at a local nature reserve in West Hove. It is a downland site; with many Hawthorns, Blackthorns, Elder, and some Pedunculate Oaks, and a Sycamores, and a Walnut. It is a prime possible site for Golden-Eye Lichens, which have reintroduced themselves in Sussex, after being deemed extinct in Sussex, see 12 Golden-Eye Lichens on one Hawthorn. The resurgence of the once-thought-extinct Teloschistes chrysophthalmus on the South Downs. 06.04.24 I said that if we look hard we will probably find one there; and one of the participants found one on a Hawthorn.

One of the participants also found a very interesting fertile lichen on a branch of an Elder. I was ensure whether this was Punctelia subrudecta or Parmelia Sulcata; but chemical reagent spot tests confirmed that is was Parmelia Sulcata

On Sunday morning, I led a similar walk in an East Brighton. I always start with a brief introduction of lichen growth forms and the morphology of lichens, as these are key to identification. (I have copied the handout I use below). The vocabulary of lichens is hard, and mostly in scientific Latin. But it is heart warming when a participant, complete new to lichens, after an hour of lichen looking, can spot a tiny Hyperphyscia adglutinata that I hadn’t seen, next to a Lecidella elaeochroma, that she identified. She didn’t know what the lichen was but said: “Are those soredia on it.” Give people a hand lens and a bit of information and magic occurs!

Here is my handout

Blackheath Common, Surrey: lichens & Stinking Hellibore. 28.02.25

“Blackheath is an example of a formerly more extensive area of dry lowland heath and acid grassland on the Bargate and Folkstone Beds of the Lower Greensand. The area of heathland has suffered a 40% decline in Britain since 1950, but at this site conservation management has maintained open heath, and restored other areas which were becoming partially or totally shaded-out by Scots pine, or birch scrub.

The heathland is dominated by ling Calluna vulgaris with bell heather Erica cinerea, crossleaved heath E. tetralix and dwarf gorse Ulex minor.  Among these plants there are dense growths of bryophytes (mosses) and lichens, including Cladonia spp.” Nature England SSSI specification. 

So you would expect there to be some British Lichen Society or National Biodiversity Network records for Cladonia spp. at Blackheath Common; but there are none.

Here are the National Biodiversity Network atlas (Cladonia genus) and British Lichen Society interactive species map (all species) for the Blackheath area and there are no records for Cladonia spp. on either database; in fact there are no lichen records at all for Blackheath Common

British Biodiversity Network Atlas

Lichen Society Interactive Species map

So, my mission yesterday was to record as many lichens as I could, and send them in to the BLS. This what I found:

Cladonia fimbriata; Cladonia coniocraea; Cladonia subulata; Caldonia chlorophaea; Cladonia ramulosa;

Lepraria incana; Parmotrema perlatum; Parmelia saxatalis; Flavoparmelia cperata; Parmelia sulcata, Evernia prunastri; Hypogymnia physodes, Hypotrachyna afrorevoluta; Hypotrachyna revoluta

Some photos

Ramalina farinacea; Hypogymnia physodes; Cladonia fimbriata

Cladonia portentosa; Cladonia gracilis; Parmelia saxitalis

Cladonia coniocrea; Everia prunastri; Cladonia subulata

I saw some Stinking Heelibore, Helleborus foetidus. It is a rare plant now in the wild; some “wild” plants are naturalised garden escapees

“The green flowers of the Stinking Hellebore can be a pleasant surprise amidst a dusting of snow.

You might think Stinking Hellebore is a garden escapee, but this is not the case! Although populations may have become obscured by such varieties, the Stinking Hellebore is a native through and through.

Be cautious: every part of this wild flower is poisonous and will induce vomiting and delirium if ingested, if not death.

In the past, Stinking Hellebore was used as a hazardous remedy for worms. The 18th century naturalist Gilbert White said this about this “cure”: “Where it killed not the patient, it would certainly kill the worms; but the worst of it is, it will sometimes kill both”.

The name “Stinking” Hellebore could be considered undeserved. Sniffing the flowers won’t make you want to hold your nose, although crushing the leaves can produce an odour often described as “beefy” Plantlife Stinking Helibore