Happy Christmas to all
and a Happy New Year
At Settle we seem to have missed out on the snow that fell in the west at Kendal and in the east part of Yorkshire. So the white patches of lichens are the nearest I have for "Snowy Christmas Pictures" brightened by the bright red haws of the hawthorn.
On the Ash tree is Phlyctis argena (goes orange then red with K). On the rocks is Aspicilia calcarea. (Bigger pictures lower down)
And after this I show a picture of a liverwort that has slightly reddish colours on the old parts and edges
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| Purple Crystalwort - thallose liverwort Riccia beyrichiana (Rare in Yorks Dales) |
The Settle Winter handicap (See pics from 2 years ago) is approaching in two weeks - better get out and practice at least walking a few miles. I'll do the circuit on footpaths that I used to do beside the Ribble from the Locks up to Stainforth Foss, complete with Nordic walking poles. (Maybe or 3.5 miles round trip). That's half the distance of the handicap. Takes me just over two hours. But I do stop and chat with a young man from Booths and take these photos en route.
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| On the Ash tree is Phlyctis argena (goes orange then red with K). On the rocks is Aspicilia calcarea. - another example picture showing it can grow where there are high nutrients (bird droppings from the tree above) and lots of sunlight. |
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| Phlyctis argena |
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| From the same tree I look down stream. The limestone rocks look tempting. I go carefully so as not to slip. |
This looks like a Riccia - a thallose liverwort.
I wish I had brought my Olympus TG4 with me, but make the best I can do with my mobile phone.
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| Finger nail and tiny mosses give scale |
I look up the pictures and text in the BBS Field Guide and decide it is Riccia beyrichiana. It is a new record for this hectad compared to 2014. (But has been found before 1950 in the hectad north of here) this if from the 2014 BBS atlas
Some of the fronds are 1.5cm long (ref my finger) so the big rosette is at least 2.5cm across. The book says that R beyrichiana is one of the biggest Riccias. It says it is reddish tinged. The median groove is narrow at the extreme tip but broad and flat bottomed behind. The old parts of the thallus become channelled. This all fits
The book and website say it mostly grows on acid soils in exposed sites subject to seasonal inundation. But that it sometimes occurs on thin leached soil over limestone in south Wales.
Well this is thin soil in a depression on top of a limestone rock near the river. It may very very occasionally get covered when the river floods -
I must have a look for flood evidence of "high tide" next time I am there.
The exposed rocks - sort of limestone pavement had the usual limestone lichens. I wondered if there might be different things since is was close to the water. All the lichens were sodden and the light not bright.
Here is one of my favourites (and brings the total of lichens for this monad to 36 at this stage)
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| Dermatocarpon miniatum. Yes I know it's a grotty picture, the lichen is sodden with water.. and its still raining lightly on Christmas Day so will still be sodden |
I continued past Stainforth Foss to the bridge and road.
During the covid "lockdown of pubs" hot weather in 2020 when people flocked here with their disposable barbecues and left their litter scattered around, volunteers collected all the litter left and put it in many bags beside the road. I see the council are thinking ahead by putting a litter skip here. Still, with the mini-lake formed on the road after all the rain over the past few days, the skip, well, adds something to the scene. Possibly.
Finally for Christmas here is a more cheerful picture taken on 5 December 2023 at Giggleswick Church of the sunlight on Evernia prunastri.
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