LICHEN SURVEYS FROM FIELD MEETINGS
British Camp Reservoir and environs
Habberley Valley and Wassall Wood area
Joy Ricketts
British Camp Reservoir, Malvern Hills 29 May 2004, SO766398
It is said that many hands make light work, it is certainly true that many
pairs of eyes make for good lichen recordings as three lichenologists from
Gloucestershire and one from Warwickshire joined in the fun.
Initially a brief shower slowed the first hour’s work as soon as the
substrates had dried we were on our knees diligently searching amongst the British
Camp reservoir environs. The granite chip path, short grassed banks, granite
dam walls with linking culvert walls, concrete run-off channels, and concrete
water tank covers were all examined.
The Gloucestershire visitors were delighted to see eight species of Cladonias,
common here on Malvern’s acidic heaths, but an uncommon substrate in their
county. The concrete covers to the water chambers were particular rewarding
despite being liberally fertilised by sheep droppings. One large patch of Xanthoria
elegans was worthy of being digitalised. Several large thalli of Placynthium
nigrum were found. This has a beautiful navy-blue fringed edge to the black
coralloid thallus neatly studded with small black apothecia. Nearby, were
several small thalli of the rather scarce Aspicilia glaucocarpa and the
more common Caloplaca variabilis. These species are usually found on
basic stone in the south.
The native granite outcrops found on the lower slopes of Broad Down
are well covered with both crustose and foliose lichens. Whilst gasping for
breath and hanging on to a shaded overhang for dear life, Porina chlorotica
was spotted, this proved later to be a county first.
The corticolous lichens found on ash, oak and sycamore in the wooded area to
the north of the reservoir had the usual lichen assemblage including Hypotrachyna
revoluta, and Parmotrema chinense. Flavoparmelia caperata, the
bright apple green foliose lichen was not found on this occasion.
The list for both the British Camp Reservoir and Broad Downs include
- Acarospora fuscata
- Amandinea punctata
- Arthonia radiata
- Aspicilia calcarea
- Aspicilia contorta
- Aspicilia caesiocinera
- Baeomyces rufus
- Buellia aethalea
- Buellia ocellata
- Caloplaca citrina
- Caloplaca crenulatella
- Caloplaca flavescens
- Caloplaca teicholyta
- Caloplaca variabilis
- Candelariella reflexa
- Candelariella vitellina
- Cladonia cervicornis
- Cladonia chlorophaea
- Cladonia ciliata var. tenuis
- Cladonia diversa
- Cladonia fimbriata
- Cladonia foliacea
- Cladonia furcata
- Cladonia gracilis
- Cladonia ramulosa
- Collema tenax
- Evernia prunastri
- Fuscidea lightfootii
- Hypogymnia physodes
- Hypogymnia tubulosa
- Hypotrachyna revoluta
- Lecanora campestris
- Lecanora chlarotera
- Lecanora dispersa
- Lecanora muralis
- Lecanora polytropa
- Lecanora rupicola
- Lecanora soralifera
- Lecidea fuscoatra
- Lecidella stigmatea
- Lepraria incana
- Melanelia fuligenosa ssp fuligenosa
- Melanelia fuligenosa ssp. glabratula
- Melanelia subaurifera
- Micarea micrococca
- Parmelia saxatilis
- Parmelia sulcata
- Parmotrema chinense
- Peltigera hymenina
- Pertusaria corallina
- Pertusaria pseudocorallina
- Phaeophyscia orbicularis
- Phlyctis argena
- Physcia adscendens
- Physcia aipolia
- Physcia caesia
- Physcia tenella
- Placynthium nigrum
- Platismatia glauca
- Porina chlorotica
- Porpidia crustulata
- Porpidia soredizodes
- Porpidia tuberculosa
- Protoblastenia rupestris
- Psilolechia lucida
- Punctelia ulophylla
- Ramalina farinacea
- Rhizocarpon geographicum
- Rhizocarpon reductum
- Schismatomma decolorans
- Scoliciosporum umbrinum
- Trapelia coarctata
- Trapelia placodioides
- Usnea subfloridana
- Verrucaria nigrescens
- Xanthoria calcicola
- Xanthoria elegans
- Xanthoria parietina
Habberley Valley 3 July 2004 SO 802776
This outstanding site seems to have everything a lichenologist could wish
for, several large sandstone outcrops, patches of acidic heath, wooden fence
posts and many well-lit, neutral barked, deciduous trees. During this visit
several sandstone outcrops including Pecketts Rock and Jacobs Ladder were
examined together with their near-by-deciduous trees. Several luxuriant patches
of Cladonia floerkeana, C. squamosa and C furcata were
noted at the base of Pecketts rock. Stereocaulon evolutum, a very unusual
find for this region, was found on one of the flat but sheltered outcrops along
with large patches of Diploschistes scruposus. A further visit is planned
to extend the recording area.
Species found on sandstone outcrops include
- Baeomyces rufus
- Candelariella vitellina
- Cladonia cervicornis
- Cladonia coniocraea
- Cladonia diversa
- Cladonia fimbriata
- Cladonia floerkeana
- Cladonia furcata
- Cladonia pyxidata
- Cladonia squamosa
- Diploschistes muscorum
- Diploschistes scruposus
- Lecanora expallens
- Lecanora gangaleoides
- Lecidea fuscoatra
- Lecidella scabra
- Lecidella stigmatea
- Lepraria incana
- Melanelia fuligenosa ssp. fuligenosa
- Pertusaria corallina
- Porina chlorotica
- Porpidia crustulata
- Porpidia tuberculosa
- Psilolechia lucida
- Scoliciosporum umbrinum
- Stereocaulon evolutum
- Tephromela atra
- Trapelia involuta
- Trapelia placodioides
Corticolous species found are
- Amandinea punctata
- Chaenotheca ferruginea
- Evernia prunastri
- Flavoparmelia caperata
- Fuscidea lightfootii
- Hypogymnia physodes
- Hypogymnia tubulosa
- Lecanora chlarotera
- Lecanora expallens
- Lecanora symmicta
- Melanelia subaurifera
- Micarea prasina
- Parmelia sulcata
- Parmotrema chinense
- Physcia adscendens
- Physcia tenella
Platismatia glauca
Punctelia subrudecta
Punctelia ulophylla
Ramalina farinacea
Scoliciosporum chlorococcum
Xanthoria parietina
Xanthoria polycarpa
Sandy Heaths
Cetraria aculeatum
Cladonia chlorophaea
Cladonia ciliata var. tenuis
Cladonia furcata
Cladonia ramulosa
Peltigera hymenina
Fence posts
Amandinea punctata
Cladonia coniocraea
Cladonia macilenta
Lecanora saligna
Habberley Valley. 27 September 2004
Recorders: Peter W James (Natural History Museum) Cliff Smith and Joy
Ricketts.
Mr James considers the Habberley Valley rocks to be very interesting with its
own specialised flora through the rock’s water retentive properties and unique
substrate chemistry.
The following additional species were found on the rocks
- Cladonia pyxidata
- Cladonia subulata
- Lepraria caesioalba
- Leproloma membranacea
- Porpidia cinereoatra
- Porpidia platycarpoides
- Rhizocarpon concentricum
Trapelia coarctata
Additional corticolous species include
Bacidia adastra
Dimerella pineti
Hypocenomyce scalaris
Parmeliopsis ambigua
On a tree stump
Trapeliopsis pseudogranulosa
Ash on the roadside of Habberley Lane. SO 795780
Ash bark favours lichen colonisation and development. The trunk was smothered
with both crustose and foliose lichens. I was delighted to find Ochrolechia
turneri this was last recorded by Francis Rose from the Wyre Forest in 1969.
Species found on this single Ash include
- Candelariella reflexa
- Chaenotheca ferruginea
- Evernia prunastri
- Flavoparmelia caperata
- Lecanora chlarotera
- Lecanora pulicaris
- Lepraria incana
- Ochrolechia turneri
- Parmelia saxatilis
- Parmelia sulcata
- Parmeliopsis ambigua
- Physcia adscendens
- Platismatia glauca
- Punctelia ulophylla
- Xanthoria parietina
A dead Alder by the pond at SO 796781 had Lecanora carpinea
Hoarstone Lane. Wooden railings and concrete posts. SO 794778
The weathered concrete posts and caps supported 15 different species of
lichen. The weathered railings were also richly covered, particularly with
foliose species, including Usnea subfloridana.
Wooden Railings Concrete posts
- Evernia prunastri Aspicilia contorta
- Flavoparmelia caperata Caloplaca holocarpa
- Hypogymnia physodes Caloplaca crenulatella
- Hypogymnia tubulosa Lecanora albescens
- Hypotrachyna revoluta Lecanora albescens
- Lecania cyrtella Lecanora campestris
- Lecanora chlarotera Lecanora dispersa
- Lecanora conizaeoides Lecanora muralis
- Lecanora symmicta Lecidella stigmatea
- Melanelia subaurifera Physcia caesia
- Parmelia saxatilis Verrucaria macrostoma f. furfuracea
- Parmelia sulcata Verrucaria nigrescens
- Physcia adscendens Xanthoria calcicola
- Placynthiella icmalea Xanthoria elegans
- Trapeliopsis flexuosa Xanthoria parietina
- Usnea subfloridana
- Xanthoria parietina
Wassall Wood 3 July 2004 SO 794775
Wassall Wood has a dense tree canopy and closely planted trees. Poorly
lit-areas such as these result in an impoverished lichen flora. Recordings were
only taken from those trees and logs found in the more open Earthworks area.
Nothing of significance was found.
- Amandinea punctata
- Buellia griseovirens
- Chaenotheca ferruginea
- Cladonia coniocraea
- Cladonia fimbriata
- Fuscidea lightfootii
- Hypogymnia physodes
- Lecanora conizaeoides
- Lepraria incana
- Melanelia subaurifera
- Parmelia saxatilis
- Parmelia sulcata
- Parmeliopsis ambigua
- Physcia tenella
- Placynthiella icmalea
- Scoliciosporum chlorococcum
- Xanthoria parietina
- Xanthoria polycarpa