Lichen abstract

Having entered lots of botanical data over the past week, I felt it was time to get back out in the field and carry on with recording. The day started bright and frosty but rain was forecast for the afternoon, so I didn't want to go too far. Unfortunately I've now been to most of the villages closest to home! After poring over the map I decided to head to the fenland village of Moulton. 

The centre of the village proved to be very attractive, with well-proportioned brick houses and a very fine church. I was surprised to find that it is also the home of the tallest windmill in Britain (see extra). I really arrived a little bit late, just in time to see the last of the sun, and most of my walk was undertaken in cold drizzle. The heavily lichen-encrusted tombstones and a decaying brick wall were the most colourful things around. Despite the rather less than ideal conditions, I added quite a few species to the two tetrads I visited, and managed to nearly cover my 10,000 steps productively!

This evening we had a Chinese meal to celebrate the Year of the Rooster. Inevitably there was lots of discussion about the horrendous actions of Donald Trump. We were heartened to see that the petition to prevent him from making a state visit to the United Kingdom continues  to attract signatures at a prodigious rate and has now reached 810,000!