My best find for me whilst exploring Kilsney Park Estate was the Pepperpot Lichen - Perusaria pertusa growing on an Ash trunk
Each rounded wart has several "holes" in it which are the sunken apothecia (fruiting bodies) where fungal spores are produced. and so looks like a pepperpot.
Whilst not rare in Britain as a whole, the distribution map shows that it is absent from much of the midlands and north of England - areas which housed the industrial revolution.
On Sun 25 May I had come to Kilnsey Park SD9767 to prepare for the Bioblitz to be held on Friday 30 May from 4pm to Sat 31 May 4pm.
All are welcome - experts and enthusiasts to help record and beginners to learn from the guided walks that are being held
You can read about Kilnsey Park Estate here
I met Clare Langrick of NEYEDC, Tony Serjeant of UpperWharfdale Field Society and Jamie of Kilnsey Park Estate.
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| Pertusaria pertusa |
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| Pepperpot Lichen: - Pertusaria pertusa |
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| Pertusaria pertusa on the Ash trunk above the stream. |
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| Distribution of Pertusaria pertusa |
I am to lead a guided walk on Lichens on Sat 31 May from10am to 11am.
I would recommend arriving at the Kilnsey Village Hall (See map) about 9am - to find space to park. And then come into the Kilnsey Park for 9.20 am to see the results of the moth trapping overnight. Then you will be ready for the lichen walk at 10am. There is a cafe and loos at Kilnsey Park/Trout Farm.
(At 11am there will be a mosses walk led by Steve Heathcote of the British Bryological Society . Then other activities as in the programme here.
I hope I will have time to show people the fascinating grey foliose (leafy) lichens growing on the margin of the notice board here:
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| Hypogymnia tubulosa |
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| Punctelia subrudecta |
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| Parmelia sulcata (on the left anyway) |
Several of the trees near the lake and towards the entrance had a lot of lichens growing on the trunks, including two yellow lichens on this Poplar tree:
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| Two yellow lichens on this Poplar tree. |
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| The big golden yellow one is Xanthoira parietina (Common Yellow Sunburst Lichen is one of its many English names - I call it Yellow Bird Perch Lichen). At the bottom in the middle of the picture above is a much tinier lemon yellow lichen with a very frilly structure - see below |
This is called Candelaria concolour.
Candelaria concolor used to be found only in the the south of England but it is spreading rapidly throughout Britain. This could be because of Global Warming, but much more likely because it is a lichen that grows in areas where the air has a lot of "reactive nitrogen chemicals" (chemicals from Fertilizer, from slurry, from car exhaust). By sending in records lichenologists are able to track its spread.
It is interesting that only 4 species have been recorded so far on the British Lichen Society Distribution map in this 1km square (in 2018) and that this Candelaria concolour was one of the four species reported. See map
Two pictures of another lichen which goes red when a dot of KOH is put on it. And a feather.
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