Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology

Also in/on #barnacles: these little globules are #cyanobacteria, probably Rivularia. Photosynthesising #bacteria that began to decarbonise and oxygenate Earth's atmosphere 2 billion years ago. They still provide significant fraction of oxygen we breathe. C foveolatum #lichen there, too. Scotland.

Continuing theme of #marine #lichens and returning to Collemopsidium (below): this is C. foveolatum. Common on shell on British rocky shores. These specimens on #barnacles (Balanidae and Cthamalidae) and #limpet (Patella). Only perithecia visible as dark dots; rest of thallus within shell. Scotland.

Lecanora helicopis and Myriolecis actophila: two common #lichens of British rocky shores. They tend to grow together, but they're easily distinguished: former dark grey, latter light. Find them in splash zone above high-tide, where they tolerate some wave action but don't experience tidal immersion.

Flavoplaca maritima: nationally notable rocky-shore #lichen. Easily confused with common F marina, but usually yellower in colour with 'waxier' look. Also never in orange (mesic-supralittoral) zone where F marina congregates, but rather higher up shore in grey (xeric-supralittoral) zone. Scotland.

Continuing from post below: this #lichen by contrast is Lichina confinis. Found above high-tide line, often with Myriolecis actophila (white), Lecanora helicopis (gray), Flavoplaca maritima (orange). Note also rounder branchlets than L pygmaea. Typically associated with cracks in rocks. Scotland.

Continuing #marine #lichens theme below. This is Lichina pygmaea. Found in #barnacle zone between high and low tide. Tolerates long periods of saltwater immersion. Distinguished from L confinis by flattened branchlets but also position: L confinis found in splash zone above high-tide line. Scotland.

Join me on the weekend of 3 & 4 October for my 'Lichens for beginners' course at FSC Epping Forest! #Lichens are a secret world all around you: curiously beautiful, ecologically vital, unique on Earth...and totally overlooked. Let's explore it together! www.field-studies-council.org/courses-and-...

Note that C pelvetiae (below) is found on P canaliculata #seaweed fronds only, not fertile receptacles. Don't confuse with Mycophyscias ascophylli: 'inverted' or 'semi-' #lichen in which #alga provides both nourishment and structure, and #fungus lives within. That's found on receptacles, not fronds!

There are few habitats more fascinating than #rockpools. Biologically rich yet ecologically extreme. This fine example will become a self-contained, waist-deep aquarium once the tide goes fully out. Imagine exploring it as a miniature aquanaut! Camusdarach beach, near Morar, Highland, Scotland.

Collemopsidium pelvetiae: extraordinary 3-part #lichen involving #fungus, #cyanobacterium and #seaweed! Vanishingly few records in Britain. I suspect it's not quite so rare: I found it on 3 of 6 beaches searched on summer holiday in Scotland. Grows only on channelled wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata).

#Galls on leaves of field maple, St Michael & St Felix church, Rumburgh, Suffolk. 'Tumors' induced by tiny #mite Aceria myriadeum, which lays its eggs within. Larvae develop safe from predators and with endless supply of nourishment, before emerging as adults to mate. What an amazing life-strategy!

Things that look like #lichens but aren't. Who doesn't admire a bit of free-living subaerial #algae? Trentepohlia in long chains, possibly T umbrina. On plaster render on north wall of Rumburgh church, Suffolk. Orange chemical that protects it from UV is none other than beta-carotine: as in carrots!

Meet Athelia arachnoidea: destructive #fungal parasite of #lichens. When it's done with this Xanthoria parietina, there'll be nothing left. Fuzzy brown sclerotia are sexual structures. Its asexual form, Rhizoctonia carotae, is known to fruit & veg trade as 'crater rot' on carrots! Rumburgh, Suffolk.

I love finding #harvestmen while recording #lichens. Two from Suffolk: Opilio canestrinii at Rumburgh, Phalangium opilio at Minsmere. I also saw Paroligolophus agrestis and Leiobunum rotundum on survey in Shropshire. @vannabartlett.bsky.social: shall I iRecord latter two even if I didn't get photos?

Surveyed St Michael & St Felix's Church in Rumburgh, Suffolk, last month. 79 #lichen taxa recorded, including near-threatened Lecanora horiza and nationally notable Verrucaria polysticta. Also Pertusaria lactescens: locally common in west, but rare in East Anglia. aspenecology.com/survey-of-st....

Amandinea pelidna on flint pebble in vegetated shingle. Nationally notable #lichen of siliceous coastal rock. Only small handful of Suffolk records: this is first for Shingle Street. Easily confused with A punctata, but separated by thicker, girdle-like septum (wall dividing spores into two cells).

Test of green #sea-urchin (Psammechinus miliaris) with intact 'Aristotle's lantern'. Mouthparts for scraping #algae from rocks. Shows 5-sided symmetry characteristic of #echinoderms (urchins, starfish, etc). #Aristotle named it after traditional 5-sided lantern of his time. Shingle Street, Suffolk.

Vibrant green samphire (Salicornia) in vegetated shingle at Shingle Street, coastal Suffolk. Unusual salt-tolerant #plant. And as it's so pretty, this brilliant red peacock #butterfly (Aglais io) spotted nearby. Too bad garden-escape red valerian (Centranthus ruber) is invasive in this rare habitat.

Cladonia polydactyla, C subulata, and C humilis. Three of ten species of heathland #lichens I found in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk. Shows that rare and precious Sandlings lowland heath still remains even under that plantation woodland. Small hope to cling to after devastating Dunwich Heath #wildfire.

Oak #snakefly (Phaeostigma notata). This unusual #insect is distributed widely in southern England, but seldom seen or recorded as adults live high in tree canopy. Lucky observation on oak trunk: this female perhaps descended to find deep, safe bark crevice for her eggs. Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk.

Scythioria (Caloplaca) phlogina. Nationally notable. Recorded only occasionally in Suffolk: this is 8th record for west of county. Nitrogen-tolerant #lichen expanding in Britain (if not overlooked previously). Once associated with elms, but since Dutch elm disease mainly on other basic-bark trees.

Cresponea premnea: main species of internationally rare #lichen community of ancient dry bark, principally #oak. This community takes 300+ years to develop! Now threatened by nitrogen pollution. Virtually exclusive to Britain and Ireland, so it's our responsibility to conserve it. Suffolk, England.