Xanthoria

This wasn't what I was expecting to blip tonight! We put the moth trap out last night and amongst the catch were very pretty specimens of large ranunculus and marbled carpet. I went out in the garden to find a piece of lichen-covered bark for them to sit on while they were being photographed, and then found I liked the colours, shapes and texture of the lichen even more than the moths!

Lichesn are fascinating and I wish I knew more about them. This is golden shield lichen Xanthoria parietina, growing on a branch of our crack willow, that was blown down in the recent gales. This lichen is formed of two organisms living together symbiotically. These are a fungus which forms the body of the lichen and produces spores in the bright orange cups on the surface and a single-celled green alga which is protected by the fungus from extreme conditions of UV or drought by the yellow colour (parietin) which acts as a sunscreen. In return the alga provides the nutrients for the fungus through photosynthesis. What a perfect arrangement!

I've had a quiet day at home today - Chris wasn't well enough to go back to Sheffield so I've got that journey to look forward to tomorrow. But actually it's all worked out rather well - I managed to finish most of a large report (except for a few minor tweakings) and after a gentler day I don't feel quite so tired. The dogs had a rest too, and didn't seem at all keen to go out in the rain!!

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