Lichens
All images on this website have been taken in Leicestershire and Rutland by NatureSpot members. We welcome new contributions - just register and use the Submit Records form to post your photos. Click on any image below to visit the species page. The RED / AMBER / GREEN dots indicate how easy it is to identify the species - see our Identification Difficulty page for more information. A coloured rating followed by an exclamation mark denotes that different ID difficulties apply to either males and females or to the larvae - see the species page for more detail.
Lichens
Lichens are hard to classify as they are composite organisms where an algae (or cyanobacteria in some cases) lives within a fungal structure. They are a fascinating group to record as they can be found just about anywhere (trees, stones, walls, pavements, fenceposts, etc.) and are generally most easily seen in winter when there are few plants and insects to be found.
If you are not familiar with lichens then the NatureSpot Beginners Guide to Recording Lichens is a useful way to get started as it features 10 of the most common and identifiable lichen species in Leicestershire and Rutland.
British Lichen Society - including guides to 20 common lichens.
www.britishlichens.co.uk - a comprehensive photo guide with useful categorisation of lichen-types but there is no information about the lichen species included.
www.dorsetnature.co.uk/Dorset-lichen.html - a similarly excellent website with high quality images and details about each lichen species.
The Field Studies Council produce a series of fold-out lichen guides that are both affordable and useful.
- Guide to Common Churchyard Lichens
- Guide to Common Urban Lichens: On Trees and Wood
- Guide to Common Urban Lichens: On Stones and Soil
- Guide to Lichens of Heaths and Moors
Lichens - An Illustrated Guide (Frank Dobson) is a comprehensive guide.
If you know of other websites or books that you would recommend, do let us know: info@naturespot.co.uk
