Rosalie invited Joe Hope, lichenologist, to take us for a walk in Kitleyknowe. Cisco, Joseph, I-Chern, Joe, Rosalie and Chris walked for three hours (slowly).
Rosalie Monod de Froideville, our host. (Photo: Chris Fremantle)Joe Hope, our guide. (Photo: Chris Fremantle)Investigating the micro world. (Photo: Chris Fremantle)Thelotrema lepadinum sometimes called 'Barnacle Lichen', growing on an ash tree. This species is not common in eastern Scotland, and may be more-or-less restricted to ancient woodlands in this region. (Photo: Chris Fremantle)The 'jam tart' fruiting bodies of Lecanora chlarotera, growing the same ash tree as the above. This species is very common and widespread, quickly colonising young bark on a wide variety of tree species. (Photo: Chris Fremantle)The Common Tamarisk Moss, Thuidium tamariscinum, is a typical component of mossy woodland floors. It has a fractal structure similar to many ferns, where each branch is like a miniature version of the whole plant, and bears branchlets that are like miniature versions of the branch! (Photo: Chris Fremantle)The Forked Veilwort, Metzgeria furcata, advances across the bark of a Rowan tree, perhaps to eventually engulf the Lecanora chlarotera in the top right? Metzgeria is an example of a liverwort: primitive plants which are perhaps the closest living relatives to the first ever land plants which evolved some 400 to 500 million years ago. Metzgeria has no stem or leaves, just a simple branching 'body' which is just 1 cell thick. (Photo: Chris Fremantle)A single shoot of the Little Shaggy-moss, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, which often forms great wefts and cushions on woodland floors where the soil is acidic. It can be be distinguished from other branchy mosses by the red stems and the distinctive way the leaves all curl over in one direction, towards the stem on one side, away on the other. (Photo: Chris Fremantle)Recent storm damage in Kitleyknowe Glen. (Photo: Chris Fremantle)
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