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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 03/10/2026

Looking forward to welcoming my tutees for this weekend's 'Lichens for beginners' course at FSC Epping Forest. The classroom is ready, the weather is sunny and warm, and the secret world of #lichens awaits its newest explorers! @fieldstudiesc.bsky.social @britishlichensociety.org.uk #lichenGBI

A classroom at the FSC Epping Forest Field Centre set up for a 'Lichens for beginners' course led by Aspen Ecology : October 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 02/10/2026

Continuing from post below: this #lichen by contrast is Lichina confinis. Found above high-tide line, often with Myriolecis actophila (white), Lecanora helicopis (gray), Flavoplaca maritima (orange). Note also rounder branchlets than L pygmaea. Typically associated with cracks in rocks. Scotland.

Lichina confinis : Scotland : VC97 West Inverness-shire : TM6591 : July 2026 : On siliceous outcrop

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 26/09/2026

Continuing #marine #lichens theme below. This is Lichina pygmaea. Found in #barnacle zone between high and low tide. Tolerates long periods of saltwater immersion. Distinguished from L confinis by flattened branchlets but also position: L confinis found in splash zone above high-tide line. Scotland.

Lichina pygmaea : Scotland : VC97 West Inverness-shire : NM6591 Camusdarach : July 2026 : On siliceous outcrop

Lichina pygmaea : Scotland : VC97 West Inverness-shire : NM6589 Traigh : July 2026 : On siliceous outcrop

Lichina pygmaea : Scotland : VC97 West Inverness-shire : NM6792 Morar Bay : July 2026 : On siliceous outcrop

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 25/09/2026

Join me on the weekend of 3 & 4 October for my 'Lichens for beginners' course at FSC Epping Forest! #Lichens are a secret world all around you: curiously beautiful, ecologically vital, unique on Earth...and totally overlooked. Let's explore it together! www.field-studies-council.org/courses-and-...

Lichen community on worked wood : England : VC20 Hertfordshire : TL3510 : March 2025

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 06/09/2026

Note that C pelvetiae (below) is found on P canaliculata #seaweed fronds only, not fertile receptacles. Don't confuse with Mycophyscias ascophylli: 'inverted' or 'semi-' #lichen in which #alga provides both nourishment and structure, and #fungus lives within. That's found on receptacles, not fronds!

Mycophyscias ascophylli : Scotland : VC97 West Inverness-shire : NM 6589 Traigh : July 2026 : On receptacle of Pelvetia canaliculata

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 05/09/2026

There are few habitats more fascinating than #rockpools. Biologically rich yet ecologically extreme. This fine example will become a self-contained, waist-deep aquarium once the tide goes fully out. Imagine exploring it as a miniature aquanaut! Camusdarach beach, near Morar, Highland, Scotland.

Rockpool at Camusdarach beach, near Morar, Highland, Scotland : July 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 05/09/2026

Collemopsidium pelvetiae: extraordinary 3-part #lichen involving #fungus, #cyanobacterium and #seaweed! Vanishingly few records in Britain. I suspect it's not quite so rare: I found it on 3 of 6 beaches searched on summer holiday in Scotland. Grows only on channelled wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata).

Collemopsidium pelvetiae : Scotland : VC97 West Inverness-shire : NM6589 Traigh : July 2026 : On frond of channelled wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata)

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 05/09/2026

Thanks, Sim. Yes: a beautiful lichen! Not juvenile. Lichens don't develop without photobionts, and if you examine it microscopically, you'll see one. I believe it's a growth form conditioned by the hard substrate. Some other crustose lichens take a similar form on flint, e.g. this Amandinea pelidna.

Amandinea pelidna : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM4765 Minsmere : August 2026 : On flint cobble

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 29/08/2026

#Galls on leaves of field maple, St Michael & St Felix church, Rumburgh, Suffolk. 'Tumors' induced by tiny #mite Aceria myriadeum, which lays its eggs within. Larvae develop safe from predators and with endless supply of nourishment, before emerging as adults to mate. What an amazing life-strategy!

Aceria myriadeum : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3481 Rumburgh : July 2026 : On leaves of Acer campestre

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 28/08/2026

Things that look like #lichens but aren't. Who doesn't admire a bit of free-living subaerial #algae? Trentepohlia in long chains, possibly T umbrina. On plaster render on north wall of Rumburgh church, Suffolk. Orange chemical that protects it from UV is none other than beta-carotine: as in carrots!

Trentepohlia : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3481 Rumburgh : July 2026 : On plaster render

Trentepohlia : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3481 Rumburgh : July 2026 : On plaster render : In KOH : 400x

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 23/08/2026

Meet Athelia arachnoidea: destructive #fungal parasite of #lichens. When it's done with this Xanthoria parietina, there'll be nothing left. Fuzzy brown sclerotia are sexual structures. Its asexual form, Rhizoctonia carotae, is known to fruit & veg trade as 'crater rot' on carrots! Rumburgh, Suffolk.

Athelia arachnoidea : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3481 Rumburgh : July 2026 : On Xanthoria parietina : On Acer twig

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 22/08/2026

I love finding #harvestmen while recording #lichens. Two from Suffolk: Opilio canestrinii at Rumburgh, Phalangium opilio at Minsmere. I also saw Paroligolophus agrestis and Leiobunum rotundum on survey in Shropshire. @vannabartlett.bsky.social: shall I iRecord latter two even if I didn't get photos?

Opilio canestrinii : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3481 Rumburgh : July 2026

Phalangium opilio : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM4765 Minsmere : August 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 22/08/2026

Surveyed St Michael & St Felix's Church in Rumburgh, Suffolk, last month. 79 #lichen taxa recorded, including near-threatened Lecanora horiza and nationally notable Verrucaria polysticta. Also Pertusaria lactescens: locally common in west, but rare in East Anglia. aspenecology.com/survey-of-st....

Lecanora horiza : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3481 Rumburgh : July 2026 : On sandstone gravestone

Verrucaria polysticta : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3481 Rumburgh : July 2026 : On concrete render

Pertusaria lactescens : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3481 Rumburgh : July 2026 : On sandstone coffin-tomb

St Michael & St Felix's Church : Rumburgh, Suffolk, England : July 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 12/08/2026

Not the moment of maximum #eclipse, which reached ~90% at 19:11 here in Bungay, Suffolk. This was ~70% at 18:58. But it was so difficult to focus the phone camera through the dark viewing glass that we left the peak spectacle for pure in-the-moment enjoyment.

Partial eclipse of the Sun as observed from Bungay, Suffolk, England. Coverage of ~70% at 18:58. Maximum eclipse reached ~90% at 19.11.

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 08/08/2026

Amandinea pelidna on flint pebble in vegetated shingle. Nationally notable #lichen of siliceous coastal rock. Only small handful of Suffolk records: this is first for Shingle Street. Easily confused with A punctata, but separated by thicker, girdle-like septum (wall dividing spores into two cells).

Amandinea pelidna : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3642 Shingle Street : July 2026 : On flint pebble

Amandinea pelidna : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3642 Shingle Street : July 2026 : On flint pebble : In KOH

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 07/08/2026

Test of green #sea-urchin (Psammechinus miliaris) with intact 'Aristotle's lantern'. Mouthparts for scraping #algae from rocks. Shows 5-sided symmetry characteristic of #echinoderms (urchins, starfish, etc). #Aristotle named it after traditional 5-sided lantern of his time. Shingle Street, Suffolk.

Green sea-urchin : Psammechinus miliaris : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3742 Shingle Street : July 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 03/08/2026

Vibrant green samphire (Salicornia) in vegetated shingle at Shingle Street, coastal Suffolk. Unusual salt-tolerant #plant. And as it's so pretty, this brilliant red peacock #butterfly (Aglais io) spotted nearby. Too bad garden-escape red valerian (Centranthus ruber) is invasive in this rare habitat.

Samphire : Salicornia : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3742 Shingle Street : July 2026

Peacock butterfly : Aglais io : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3742 Shingle Street : July 2026 : On Centranthus ruber

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 01/08/2026

Cladonia polydactyla, C subulata, and C humilis. Three of ten species of heathland #lichens I found in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk. Shows that rare and precious Sandlings lowland heath still remains even under that plantation woodland. Small hope to cling to after devastating Dunwich Heath #wildfire.

Cladonia polydactyla : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3547 Rendlesham Forest : July 2026 : On dry tree stump

Cladonia subulata : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3547 Rendlesham Forest : July 2026 : On mineral soil

Cladonia humilis : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3547 Rendlesham Forest : July 2026 : On mineral soil : K+ yellow

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 01/08/2026

Oak #snakefly (Phaeostigma notata). This unusual #insect is distributed widely in southern England, but seldom seen or recorded as adults live high in tree canopy. Lucky observation on oak trunk: this female perhaps descended to find deep, safe bark crevice for her eggs. Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk.

Oak snakefly : Phaeostigma notata : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3548 Rendlesham Forest : July 2026 : On oak trunk

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 30/07/2026

Scythioria (Caloplaca) phlogina. Nationally notable. Recorded only occasionally in Suffolk: this is 8th record for west of county. Nitrogen-tolerant #lichen expanding in Britain (if not overlooked previously). Once associated with elms, but since Dutch elm disease mainly on other basic-bark trees.

Scythioria (Caloplaca) phlogina : England : VC26 West Suffolk : TL8646 : On trunk of dead horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 27/07/2026

Cresponea premnea: main species of internationally rare #lichen community of ancient dry bark, principally #oak. This community takes 300+ years to develop! Now threatened by nitrogen pollution. Virtually exclusive to Britain and Ireland, so it's our responsibility to conserve it. Suffolk, England.

Cresponea premnea : VC25 East Suffolk : TM4585 : June 2026 : On ancient Quercus robor trunk

Quercus robor : VC25 East Suffolk : TM4585 : June 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 26/07/2026

Maybe because I like #lichens, I also like #plants that can grow in rocky places on barest of soils. In Britain, they include small group of native #succulents, of which rose-root (Rhodiola rosea) is one. (This plant from Faroe Islands, though.) From its looks, you don't expect its yellow #flowers!

Rose-root : Rhodolia rosea : Bøur, Vágar, Faroes : May 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 26/07/2026

Black, grey, orange, yellow: colours that #lichens paint northern rocky shores. In these photos: Flavoplaca maritima, Myriolecis actophila, Flavoplaca microthallina, Hydropunctaria maura, Lichina pygmaea, Polycauliona verruculifera. From Faroes, but same colours and lichens on British shores, too.

Flavoplaca (Caloplaca) maritima : Bøur, Vágar, Faroes : May 2026 : On siliceous boulder

Myriolecis (Lecanora) actophila : Bøur, Vágar, Faroes : May 2026 : On siliceous boulder

Flavoplaca (Caloplaca) microthallina (yellow, middle); Hydropunctaria (Verrucaria) maura (black, cracked); Lichina pygmaea (black, branched) : Bøur, Vágar, Faroes : May 2026 : On siliceous boulder

Polycauliona (Caloplaca) verruculifera : Bøur, Vágar, Faroes : May 2026 : On siliceous boulder

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 25/07/2026

'False' Irish moss (Mastocarpus stellatus). Differentiated from 'true' Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) by channelled rather than flat fronds. But like its 'true' cousin, this red #algal #seaweed is harvested for 'carrageenan': natural gelatine-like thickener for foods and cosmetics. Vágar, Faroes.

False Irish moss : Mastocarpus stellatus : Bøur, Vágar, Faroes : May 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 25/07/2026

Only ~3% of #lichens are tripartite. #Fungus creates structure, and both #algae and #cyanobacteria (not just one or other) provide nourishment via photosynthesis. Placopsis gelida is their poster-child. Distinctive, pinkish cephalodia serve as 'private apartments' for cyanobacteria. Sandoy, Faroes.

Placopsis gelida : Søltuvík, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On siliceous boulder

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 19/07/2026

Have you ever seen orange groundwater? It's rust made by #bacteria using dissolved iron and carbon to build their bodies. By rusting iron, they create energy to power #chemosynthesis, like #plants harness light for #photosynthesis. Mind-boggling! This example in seepage from peat on Sandoy, Faroes.

Iron-oxidising bacteria : possibly Leptothrix or Gallionella : Søltuvík, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : In seepage from peat : May 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 17/07/2026

Only ~20% of #lichens are squamulose: built a bit like overlapping scales. Here are four I've seen in past few months, all firsts for me: Placidium squamulosum, Xylopsora caradocensis, Vahliella leucophaea, Protopannaria pezizodes. Aren't they striking! (P. squamulosum with @robyaxley.bsky.social.)

Placidium squamulosum : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On mortared stone wall

Xylopsora caradocensis : Dranganir Trail, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On wooden fence-post

Vahliella leucophaea : Søltuvík, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On siliceous boulder

Protopannaria pezizodes : Søltuvík, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On siliceous boulder

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 11/07/2026

Shrimp's-eye view of miniature submerged jungles. Not trees, but #seaweed. Not the tropics, but #rockpools on northern shores. Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca), dulse (Palmaria palmata), gutweed (Ulva intestinalis), Scytosiphon lomentaria and others. Elduvík, Eysturoy and Søltuvík, Sandoy, #FaroeIslands.

Mainly sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) but also Scytosiphon laminaria : Elduvîk, Eysturoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026

Dulse (Palmaria palmata) : Elduvîk, Eysturoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026

Mainly dulse (Palmaria palmata) and gutweed (Ulva intestinalis) : Søltuvîk, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026

Mainly dulse (Palmaria palmata), sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) and gutweed (Ulva intestinalis) : Søltuvîk, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 11/07/2026

Things you find on wet mortared stone walls: aerophytic #algae (species of Trentepohlia, possibly T aurea), #liverworts (species of Conocephalum or 'snakewort', possibly C conicum), and jelly #lichens (Lathagrium auriforme left, Collema flaccidum right). Same wall but not same scale! Gjogv, #Faroes.

Trentepohlia, possibly T. aurea : Gjogv, Eysturoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On mortared stone wall

Conocephalum, possibly C. conicum : Gjogv, Eysturoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On mortared stone wall

Lathagrium auriforme : Gjogv, Eysturoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On mortared stone wall

Collema flaccidum : Gjogv, Eysturoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On mortared stone wall

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 11/07/2026

This is Ochrolechia tartarea. Common #lichen on stone in British uplands. Unusual flesh-coloured apothecia that look like pork crackling. In #Scotland it was once used to make traditional 'cudbear' dye. Astounding that it can yield such vivid pinks and purples! This specimen from Sandoy, #Faroes.

Ochrolechia tartarea : Skálhøvdi, near Skálavik, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On siliceous outcrop

Harris tweed swatch in colours like those obtained from cudbear dye, derived from Ochrolechia tartarea lichen : Callicvol/Wikimedia : CC BY-SA 3.0

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 02/07/2026

Hot weather ⇒ open windows ⇒ unexpected house guests. Delighted all the same to welcome a very smart small ranunculus (Hecatera dysodea), and a brilliantly handsome banded damoiselle (Calopteryx splendens). Sadly they rested themselves in corners awkward for good photos! Bungay, Suffolk, England.

Small ranunculus : Hecatera dysodea : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3389 : June 2026 : Found indoors

Banded damoiselle : Calopteryx splendens : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3389 : July 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 30/06/2026

An ecologist's essential skills upgrade, courtesy of Clarion First Aid. On my way to a Level 3 Award in Outdoor First Aid. Love the props. On the syllabus for tomorrow, among other traumas: catastrophic arterial bleeding. We're to wear easily washable clothes as warm, simulated blood is promised...

Andy Fisher of Clarion First Aid leading first day of Level 3 Award course in Outdoor First Aid. Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Realistic knife prop for simulating emergency treatment for penetrating injury. Clarion First Aid course in Outdoor First Aid led by Andy Fisher. Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Rocking a field dressing for a simulated scalp laceration. Applied by one of my fellow tutees on Clarion First Aid’s Outdoor First Aid course. Norwich, Norfolk, England.

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 27/06/2026

Returning to nested thread below about parasites that infect #lichens. Some are other lichens! They germinate on their hosts, stealing their #algal photobionts. Classic example: Zeora (Lecanora) sulphurea, which often begins life as parasite of Tephromela atra. This pair from Sandoy, #FaroeIslands.

Tephromela atra var. atra & Zeora (Lecanora) sulphurea : Húsavík, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On siliceous drystone wall

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 21/06/2026

This lovely little acorn #barnacle all alone offered fine chance to clarify useful cirriped morphology for myself. Balanid barnacles are found lower down shore than chthamalids, which they outcompete for space, forcing them to live higher up, and out of water longer between tides. Vágar, #Faroes.

Balanid barnacle : Bøur, Vágar, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : Labelled to indicate external morphology, including major differences with chthamalid barnacles.

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 20/06/2026

Continuing theme of #fungi parasitising #lichens (see below), two more recent observations: Intralichen lichenicola infecting and blackening apothecia (fruits) of Candelariella vitellina (left, Faroe Islands), and Arthonia apotheciorum doing same to Myriolecis albescens (right, Suffolk, England).

Intralichen lichenicola : Drangarnir trailhead, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On Candelariella vitellina f. vitellina : On derelict metal oil-tank

Arthonia apotheciorum : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3787 : June 2026 : On Myriolecis albescens : On concrete fence-post

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 19/06/2026

It surprises people to learn that #lichens can get ill! These two have #fungal infections: Lecanora polytropa with green Cercidospora epipolytropa; Lepra corallina with black Sclerococcum sphaerale. Common diseases of these species. On Skálhøvdi, Sandoy, #Faroe Islands, but found in Britain, too.

Cercidospora epipolytropa : Skálhøvdi, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On Lecanora polytropa : On siliceous outcrop

Sclerococcum sphaerale : Skálhøvdi, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On Lepra corallina : On siliceous outcrop

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 14/06/2026

Nail gall on leaf of lime (Tilia) tree, St Edmundsbury Cathedral churchyard, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. Common, tumour-like growth induced by mite Eriophyes tiliae. Mite larvae develop within, literally surrounded by their food source, and protected from predators. Clever and strange!

Lime nail gall : Eriophyes tiliae : England : VC26 West Suffolk : On Tilia leaf : May 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 13/06/2026

We interrupt our regular lichen programming to bring you this house #centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) from my cellar. If you've ever wondered what haunts the nightmares of your average household insect pest, now you know. Slightly shiver-inducing, but a welcome predator. Bungay, Suffolk, England.

House centipede : Scutigera coleoptrata : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3389 : May 2026

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 12/06/2026

#Lichen substances can have striking colours and reactions. This is Bacidina egenula, whose blue-green epithecium and outer exciple sharply intensifies in K, and whose red-brown hypothecium dulls. Note also remarkable thread-like spores. First record for VC52 Anglesey. With @robyaxley.bsky.social.

Bacidina egenula : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On Salix trunk

Bacidina egenula : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On Salix trunk : In water

Bacidina egenula : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On Salix trunk : In KOH : K+ intensifying green (epithecium and outer exciple) : K+ dulling brown (hypothecium)

Bacidina egenula : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On Salix trunk : In KOH : K+ intensifying green (epithecium)

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 12/06/2026

Very proud to be the ‘face of #lichenology’ for new ecology and environment careers exhibit at the Techniquest Science Discovery Centre in #Cardiff! On display all month. Hope it inspires young visitors to notice #lichens, and to imagine studying or working with them. Many thanks to Techniquest!

Display from ecology and environment careers exhibit at Techniquest Science Discovery Centre in Cardiff, Wales. 'Lichenology: Dr Anthony Speca. My name is Anthony, and I'm a field lichenologist. This means I study lichens outdoors as a practical ecologist. I also teach about lichens, which are the most amazing organisms no-one has heard of! Lichens are everywhere. They've even survived space! But they're sensitive to air pollution, and they're telling us we're not looking after our environment properly. Looking at a lichen close up is like landing on an alien planet. We know a lot less about them than most other wildlife. Many turn brilliant colours with chemicals and UV-light, and some need microscopes to identify. Like a lichen CSI!'

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 07/06/2026

Myriolecis andrewii is rare, notable #lichen of British rocky shores. Found on siliceous rock in upper part of splash zone. Spectacular orange UV-fluorescence! Can be confused with M fugiens, which fluoresces similarly, but has distinctly yellowish thallus. Anglesey with @robyaxley.bsky.social.

Myriolecis andrewii : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On siliceous outcrop

Myriolecis andrewii : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On siliceous outcrop : UV+ bright orange

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 06/06/2026

Final post for now in this nested thread about #marine #lichens. Two species of Wahlenbergiella are commonly found on British rocky shores: W striatula (previous post) and W mucosa (here, from recent trip to Faroe Islands). Both live exclusively in intertidal zone, immersed in seawater twice daily!

Wahlenbergiella mucosa : Húsavík, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On siliceous outcrop

Wahlenbergiella mucosa : Elduvík, Eysturoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On siliceous outcrop

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 05/06/2026

Continuing nested thread below. Alongside Collemopsidium, Wahlenbergiella is another genus of truly #marine #lichens adapted to extreme saltwater habitat. This is W striatula, which is found on siliceous coastal rock in zone between high and low tides. Anglesey, Wales, with @robyaxley.bsky.social.

Wahlenbergiella striatula : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On siliceous rock

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 03/06/2026

Join me Saturday 13 June in Waldringfield, Suffolk, to discover the secret world of #lichens! After an introduction to these amazing organisms, we'll go outside to see them 'in the wild'. Thanks to Waldringfield Wildlife Group for inviting me, and @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social for co-sponsoring.

Poster for Waldringfield Wildlife Group event, 'Discovering the Secret World of Lichens', led by Dr Anthony Speca of Aspen Ecology : Saturday 13 June : 11.00 to 14.00 : Waldringfield Village Hall

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 30/05/2026

Collemopsidium (see nested thread below) doesn't occur only on shell. Some species in this genus of #marine #lichens are found mainly on rock. For instance, these thalli of C elegans are growing on quartz pebble, among red encrusting #alga belonging to Hildenbrandia genus. From Kilmory, Scotland.

Collemopsidium elegans : Scotland : VC101 Kintyre : NR6974 : July 2022 : On quartz pebble

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 29/05/2026

Continuing this nested thread about #marine #lichens. Collemopsidium foveolatum (below) can be confused with less common C sublitorale, which also grows on shells. But perithecia of latter are emergent, not immersed. Both occur on these #barnacles, making difference easier to see. Ormsary, Scotland.

Collemopsidium foveolatum and Collemopsidium sublitorale : Scotland : VC101 Kintyre : August 2022 : On Cirripedia shell

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 25/05/2026

As mentioned below, Collemopsidium foveolatum grows on shells of various #marine animals, not just #barnacles. Case in point: this same #lichen on limpet (Patella) shell. From beach at Húsavík, on Sandoy, in Faroe Islands where I'm very lucky to be spending this week for work and holiday.

Collemopsidium foveolatum : Húsavík, Sandoy, Faroe Islands : May 2026 : On Patella shell

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 24/05/2026

This is Collemopsidium foveolatum. Another #marine #lichen like C pelvetiae below. Common around British coasts. Typically found on #barnacles but also other shells. Sometimes calcareous rock. For more see aspenecology.com/collemopsidi.... From Anglesey on lichen survey with @robyaxley.bsky.social.

Collemopsidium foveolatum : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On Cirripedia shell

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Anthony Speca | Aspen Ecology @aspenecology.com · 22/05/2026

Recently on Anglesey surveying #lichens. Highlights included #marine species from intertidal zone. Excited to find Collemopsidium pelvetiae: rarely recorded lichen in unusual triple symbiosis with #cyanobacteria and #seaweed (channelled wrack, Pelvetia canaliculata)! With @robyaxley.bsky.social.

Collemopsidium pelvetiae : Wales : VC52 Anglesey : April 2026 : On Pelvetia canaliculata frond

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