Please refer to the Introduction Page to understand the context behind the monthly photographs.
Wild Animals
Wild Birds
Galls
Fungi
Lichen
The photograph below was submitted to the British Lichen Society for assistance in identification. Their response is summarised below.
The main lichen is Physcia tenella. In the top right at the very end of the twig is the closely related lichen Physcia adscendens.
The Physcia tenella lichen is not in good health, being largely covered in the pale orange of Erythricium aurantiacum and also a few bright pink blobs of Illosporiopsis christiansenii. These two are aggressive lichenicolous fungi mostly attacking Physcia species.
Lichenicolous Fungi
Mosses
Algae
Falls of Clyde visit 20th January
Fungi
Lichen
Algae
Trentepohlia alga would not, at first glance, be taken as a green alga. Free living species are mostly yellow to bright orange or red-brown in colour, due to the orange pigment which hides the green of the chlorophyll. Commonly found on rocks, walls and on tree bark.
Insects
Beech bark disease is a complex disease resulting from the interaction of sap-sucking insects, known as beech scale (Crytococcus fagisuga) and two species of fungi, Nectria coccinea var. faginata and Nectria galligena.
Beech scales themselves do not threaten the health of beech trees, but the insects pierce the bark and feed on the sap in the inner bark of the tree leaving exposed areas making the tree susceptible to fungal attack which causes their decline.
The white wax secreted by the beech scale is the first sign of the disease. Isolated dots of white "wool" appear on the bole of the tree on roughened areas of bark and below large branches. Eventually the entire bole of the tree may be covered by the waxy secretion as the insect population increases.
A Beech scale nymph is typically about 0.3 mm long.
Ones that got away this month
a) Fieldfare - flock of birds.
b) Redwing - flock of birds.
c) Common Buzzard.
d) A good Cormorant photo - River Avon.
e) Small group of long tailed tits.