Sunday 17th Jan was sunny and cold.
After my dawn walk over the Tyne, I had breakfast at the Euro Hostel and then drove c 20 miles NW of Newcastle to Wallington. I parked in an open car park facing the sun. About 25 people eventually arrived.
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Janet Simkin our leader and organiser introduced us to Paul? (Red jacket and dog) from the National Trust. He told us it was one of the top 25 most visited properties of the National Trust, and the agricultural estate was 30 sq miles.
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I set off with Allan Pentecost towards the walled garden but before we reached the road we came across some box trees.
On the box branches we searched for a special rare lichen called Fellhanera bouteillei which we failed to find. But Hey ho - I shall always look out for it on box now.
There was lots of green "grot" alga - Apatococcus lobatus - which is a bit like Desmococcus (I found Apatococcus on a tree in Coventry.. but it is probably the green grot you see in lots of places)
Then on the leaves there was a special alga called Phycopeltis foliosus. This forms orbicular orange brown patches on evergreen leaves. The filaments are closely packed together and radiate outwards and the plants resemble small upturned mushroom caps. The species are common in the tropics but rare elsewhere. Link
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| Phycopeltis foliosus |
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In the walled garden at the top there was a spring/trough which had overflowed
- maybe in the recent floods - there were lots of pea mussels. |
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| Lecidella stigmatea on vertical wall at top of walled garden |
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| Lecidella stigmatea on vertical wall at top of walled garden |
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| Belonia nidarosiensis (Clathroporina calcarea): Thallus a powdery crust orange to red flecked with white. found on vertical shaded north and east limestone and mortar walls. Some jagged angles at edge of thallus. |
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| Gyalecta jenensis- these are only 1 mm across. |
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| Fairy Foxglove - Erinus- on SW facing wall of walled garden - white stuff includes Diplotomma albo-atrum |
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| Diplotomma albo-atrum |
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| See the yellow patch on the brick wall.. |
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| It is Caloplaca citrinum |
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| Tephromela atra or possibly Lecanora ganagleioides on the wall |
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| This is an Opegrapha that Allan took home |
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| Physconia sp. |
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| Physconia sp. |
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| Melanelia..? growing with Parmelia sulata |
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| The Thelotrema lapida growing into the Pertusaria pertusa makes a splendid photo. |
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| Beech tree with Pertusaria pertusa by the lake |
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| Young Pertusaria pertusa on branch of young shrub - growing with concentric rings. |
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Then we came back onto the lawn at the main house
where people were looking at two lichenocolous fungi |
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| Marchandiomyces-aurantiacus |
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| Marchandiomyces-aurantiacus: This is peach coloured |
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| On a horsechestnut tree nearby was a flourescent ink fungus- Illiosporiopsis christiansenii |
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| Illiosporiopsis christiansenii |
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| Illiosporiopsis christiansenii |
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The grey lichen on the right with cone shaped pycnidia with whitish tips is
Lecanactis abietina.
The yellowy orangy streak down the centre with black pinheads on stalks is Chaenotheca ferruginea |
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| Chaenotheca ferruginea |
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| Peltigera membranacea - there is whitish felt /powder on the edge of the thallus |
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| Add caption |
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| Sarea resinae - Resin Fungus |
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| Arthonia spadicea - tar spot lichen |
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| A fungus |
