Extreme lichening

 Over Easter I was lucky to have some of my family staying and we went for a walk to the Falls of Truim.   The Truim  runs through a gorge and has plenty of places to swim but we were on a lichen hunt rather than braving the chilly waters.

We had been swimming last year when it was a lot warmer. I had found some interesting lichens and had been asked to collect some samples next time I went there. I probably won't be visiting the site very often as the access is quite steep and I was glad of company (and the rope) to lend a hand!

The path alongside the gorge had  green areas alongside the pine roots - here it is with a size 9 shoe for scale:

You really need to get down close and peer at them before the green patches get interesting.

There are lots of pink blobs (apothecia) which have earned this lichen the nick name of "Fairy puke" Maybe some of you remember the Billy Connolly joke about carrots.... For those of you with a tender constitution it is officially known as Icmadophila ericetorum.

This wasn't the lichen I was looking for, though it was good to see it. The one I wanted was down by the edge of the river as it likes a bit of wet.

The ruler is in centimetres. The rock face is flushed with water from the slope above, and that is just the sort of habitat that this lichen (Dermatocarpon intestiniforme) likes. It goes a sludgy green when wet which distinguishes it from an almost identical lichen called Dermatocarpon luridum  which goes bright green - but I have yet to find that one. 

Once we were back at the top we went for a gentle walk in the woods and my daughter-in-law spotted a tiny interesting fungus. It is called Earpick fungus and the stalk is on one side of the cap (rather than the middle) and the whole thing is covered with bristles and grows on pine cones.

Earpick fungus (Auriscalpium vulgare)

Even the underneath of the cap is covered in tiny teeth. I assume the spores get shot out of those black tips.

When I looked at it under the microscope I found we had brought a tiny fly back as well, only about 2mm long. Stephen Moran kindly checked some photos and identified it as Trioza urticae, which is a Psillid (jumping plant louse).  Maybe not the most attractive of descriptions!

The mystery fly on the edge of the earpick fungus

Here's what Stephen said:

They overwinter away from the hosts, usually in conifers (they love Sitka spruce) and are now just venturing out and about again. They often pop up on house or car windows this time of year. 

On the way back we went past a pile of stones at the edge of a field - just look at all those lovely lichens.  I won't be able to resist going back for a closer look!

The lichenologists equivalent of a sweetie shop!

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