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Tag Archives: yellow lichen

330/365 A good day for lichens

26 Tuesday Nov 2019

Posted by sconzani in autumn, lichen, nature, trees

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British lichens, lichen, lichen on trees, yellow lichen

191126 lichen (1)

‘There is a low mist in the woods—It is a good day to study lichens. The view so confined—it compels your attention to near objects—& the white background reveals the disks of the lichens distinctly—They appear more loose-flowing—expanded—flattened out—the colors brighter—for the damp—The round yellowish green lichens on the white pines loom through the mist (or are seen dimly) like shields—whose devices you would fain read.’  ~  Henry David Thoreau, A Year in Thoreau’s Journal 1851, Penguin, New York, 1993

191126 lichen (2)191126 lichen (3)191126 lichen (4)

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Winter sunshine

20 Thursday Dec 2018

Posted by sconzani in lichen, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

glowing lichen, landscape of lichen, lichen glowing like sunshine, lichen landscape, yellow lichen

Okay, it’s not real sun-in-the-sky-type sunshine. But these miniature landscapes of lichen can be found atop almost every old fence post and they seem to exude sunshine on even the greyest of winter days.

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That yellow lichen in the graveyard

18 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by sconzani in lichen, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Caloplaca flavescens, graveyard lichen, headstone lichen, yellow lichen

If you go for a wander through your local cemetery, this is one of the most common lichen you will see on old limestone headstones and grave monuments. Growing up to 10cm (4 inches) across and coming in vibrant shades of yellow and orange, the crust lichen Caloplaca flavescens is easy to spot.

160318 caloplaca flavescens (5)

The outer part of the thallus (that’s lichen for body!) has lobes and, at least in the beginning, the pattern in its centre can look a little like white dried-out mud (or, as one website described it, ‘crazy paving’) but that part later seems to disappear, leaving a single outer ring, or a series of thin arcs, that look to me almost like the outline of a rose in flower. If you look very closely, you can sometimes see the fruiting bodies (known as apothecia). These are a darker orange, disc-shaped, and tiny (up to 1.5mm across) – you might need your specs to see them.

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Of course, you don’t just see this lichen in graveyards. It can be found on any calcareous rocks and walls, particularly those where birds have frequently been perching, as this lichen finds nourishment in nutrient-rich bird poo!

160318 caloplaca flavescens (1)
160318 caloplaca flavescens (2)
160318 caloplaca flavescens (3)
160318 caloplaca flavescens (4)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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