Miniature Worlds: Lichens and Mosses

We like these mixtures of Lichens and Mosses: these have set up home on the Sea Wall beside the Thames close to Conway's Berth in Erith:

A new Lichen for the Crossness Nature Reserve and surrounding Area

Physcia aipolia on a fence in the Norman Road Field:

Never seen it on a fence before.

A 'Big Adventure' to Leysdown-on-Sea, the Isle of Sheppey

To Leysdown-on-Sea to hopefully find a Bird or two. Species seen:

Black-Headed Gull

Crow

Curlew
Herring Gull

Magpie

Oystercatcher

Pheasant
Pied Wagtail

Redshank (see below)

Sandwich Tern (see below)

Starling

Swallow

Turnstone (see below) 

and Wood Pigeon

Wild flower' species seen included Sea Holly (see below), Sea Milkwort and Sea Spurge (see below):

And we didn't neglect the Lichens, finding inter alia, Caloplaca saxicola:

Our visit acted as a reminder that although it is nice to visit Leysdown-on-Sea, it is very isolated (as is Sheppey in general) and that we are super-lucky to live in SE London with so much on our doorstep.

Our first local Stonechats of the Autumn (and more Xanthoria polycarpa)

With our minds elsewhere we are winding down our Wild Life related activities. But we needed to go down to the local Nature Reserve and Yippee, almost immediately chanced upon at least four Stonechats including this one:

And we found (lots) more Xanthoria polycarpa:

Wild Flowers in the Grounds of the Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup

Finding ourselves in the Grounds of the Queen Mary's Hospital, we decided to look for Wild Flowers, finding, inter alia:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Bristly Oxtongue
Buck's-Horn Plantain

Common Mallow

Creeping Cinquefoil

Creeping Thistle

Dandelion

Dwarf Mallow

Field Bindweed

Greater Plantain

Hoary Mustard    

Knotgrass

Mugwort
Ragwort

Ribwort Plantain

Spear Thistle

White Clover
Wild Carrot

and Yarrow

And also Broad-Leaved Dock growing on a road-side verge viz. 

Protoblastenia rupestris in the Courtyard beside St Mary-at-Hill (the City of London)

Seeing the Entrance to the Courtyard open we had hopes of being able to wander round the Church: it was alas, not to be.

But we did find a number of specimens of Protoblastenia rupestris on a Courtyard' wall viz.

Updated: Xanthoria polycarpa on the Crossness Nature Reserve (and an orange Candelariella vitallina)

2 July 2022: we don't often see Xanthoria polycarpa so it was something of a surprise to find a small population on a fence post on the Crossness Nature Reserve (close to the entrance to the Norman Road Field) viz. 

Footnote: the granular orange lichen (see the third picture: to the left of the picture and lower right) which tested K- is confirmed as Candelariella vitellina. We usually see it in its yellow form but in this instance, it is coloured orange. 

17 July 2022: we find lots of Xanthoria polycarpa on the fence/posts beside the Norman Road Field viz.

Sea Couch on the Thames' Foreshore

Sea Couch is really rather pretty when flowering viz.

We are wondering whether to arrange an informal Walk (as we did this year) along the Thames Path next year (possibly again during early-June when the Sea Milkwort will be flowering) to look for Wild Flowers growing on the Foreshore, including:

English Scurvygrass

Golden Samphire

Lesser Sea-Spurrey

Sea Arrowgrass

Sea Aster

Sea Club-Rush

Sea Couch

Sea Milkwort

Sea Plantain

and Sea Purslane

Lichens on the Sea Wall in the Belvedere area

We started above the Sewage Works' Outfall and worked our way downstream along the Thames Path to just beyond the Waste Incinerator.

Lichen species seen and identified:

Caloplaca citrina agg. 

Caloplaca decipiens (lots of it)

Caloplaca saxicola

Candelariella aurella 

Lecanora albescens (assumed)

Lecanora campestris

Lecanora dispersa sp.

Lecanora muralis

Phaeophyscia orbicularis

Physcia caesia (lots of it and some with apothecia)

Verrucaria sp. (possibly V. ochrostoma)

Xanthoria calcicola

and Xanthoria parietina

Plus Aspicilia contorta sp. on the Path itself.

Protoblastenia rupestris close to the Front Door (at Home): also Aspicila contorta species

We took the camera when we went out to bring the Bins in after the Dustmen had gone. The yellowish smudges on the ground (cement) which we have either not seen or ignored before, are not smudges at all: for they have small orange apothecia. Protoblastenia rupestris (K+ red) and lots of it.

Apropos the Aspicila contorta species, growing on cement, are the areoles rounded (for subsp. contorta) or angled (for subps. hoffmanniana)? Difficult to tell: perhaps more angled than rounded but...

A Brown Lichen on a local Kerb Stone

When we first saw this lichen growing on a local kerb stone a few months ago it was a dark greenish colour. We wondered if it might be Phaeophyscia orbicularis: although the lobes seemed too big. 

It has subsequently turned a brown colour and been identified as a Xanthoparmelia species, possibly X. verruculifera, being the most common of the Xanthoparmelia species.

            

We had previously ignored another brown lichen, assuming it was dried up. We shall be more careful in future.

Our First Butterfly Sightings in the London Borough of Bexley: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022

Our First Sightings are Identified for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 viz.

Brimstone: 7 April 2015 ~ 17 March 2016 ~ 11 March 2017 ~ 26 March 2018 ~ 23 February 2019 ~ 11 March 2020 ~ 9 March 2021 ~ 15 March 2022

Brown Argus: 4 June 2015 ~ 24 May 2016 ~ 10 May 2017 ~ 18 May 2018 ~ 16 May 2019 ~ 7 May 2020 ~ 28 May 2021 ~ 18 May 2022

Clouded Yellow: 18 July 2015 ~ 17 August 2016 ~ 31 July 2017 ~ not seen during 2018 ~ 7 September 2019 ~ 3 August 2020 ~ 26 June 2021 ~ 2022?

Comma: 9 April 2015 ~ 17 March 2016 ~ 11 March 2017 ~ 14 March 2018 ~ 25 February 2019 ~ 23 March 2020 ~ 22 March 2021 ~ 10 March 2022

Common Blue: 11 May 2015 ~ 22 May 2016 ~ 2 May 2017 ~ 22 May 2018 ~ 16 May 2019 ~ 10 May 2020 ~ 5 June 2021 ~ 18 May 2022

Essex Skipper: 25 June 2015 ~ 25 June 2016 ~ 16 June 2017 ~ 29 June 2018 ~ 20 June 2019 ~ 13 June 2020 ~ 24 June 2021 ~ 18 June 2022

Gatekeeper: 3 July 2015 ~ 6 July 2016 ~ 30 June 2017 ~ 29 June 2018 ~ 6 July 2019 ~ 11 July 2020 ~ 16 July 2021 ~ 2 July 2022

Green Hairstreak: 28 April 2015 ~ 3 May 2016 ~ 6 April 2017 ~ 19 April 2018 ~ 19 April 2019 ~ 26 April 2020 ~ 19 April 2021 ~ 26 May 2022

Green-Veined White: 30 March 2015 ~ 2 April 2016 ~ 27 March 2017 ~ 14 April 2018 ~ 28 March 2019 ~ 5 April 2020 ~ 4 April 2021 ~ 25 March 2022

Holly Blue: 22 April 2015 ~ 4 May 2016 ~ 8 April 2017 ~ 22 April 2018 ~ 14 April 2019 ~ 16 April 2020 ~ 7 May 2021 ~ 18 April 2022

Large Skipper: 5 June 2015 ~ 8 June 2016 ~ 1 June 2017 ~ 2 June 2018 ~ 2 June 2019 ~ 26 May 2020 ~ 26 June 2021 ~ 2 June 2022

Large White: 1 May 2015 ~ 30 April 2016 ~ 10 July 2017 ~ 4 April 2018 ~ 1 June 2019 ~ 19 April 2020 ~ 26 June 2021 ~ 20 June 2022

Long-Tailed Blue: not seen during 2015 ~ not seen during 2016 ~ not seen during 2017 ~ 29 October 2018 (a one off probably) ~ not seen during 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ not seen during 2021

Marbled White: 24 June 2015 ~ 17 July 2016 ~ 16 June 2017 ~ 20 June 2018 ~ 22 June 2019 ~ 15 June 2020 ~ 24 June 2021 ~ 15 June 2022

Meadow Brown: 18 June 2015 ~ 18 June 2016 ~ 7 June 2017 ~ 8 June 2018 ~ 1 June 2019 ~ 13 June 2020 ~ 15 June 2021 ~ 15 June 2022

Orange-Tip: 7 April 2015 ~ 12 April 2016 ~ 28 March 2017 ~ 14 April 2018 ~ 28 March 2019 ~ 23 March 2020 ~ 4 April 2021 ~ 26 March 2022

Painted Lady: 7 June 2015 ~ 5 June 2016 ~ 20 May 2017 ~ 15 June 2018 ~ 24 June 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ 23 April 2021 ~ 17 May 2022

Peacock: 30 March 2015 ~ 30 March 2016 ~ 9 March 2017 ~ 21 March 2018 ~ 25 February 2019 ~ 6 March 2020 ~ 26 February 2021  ~ 15 March 2022

Purple Hairstreak: 5 August 2015 ~ 18 July 2016 ~ not seen during 2017 ~ not seen during 2018 ~ not seen during 2019 ~ 1 July 2020 ~ not seen during 2021 ~ 2022?

Red Admiral: 7 March 2015 ~ 28 March 2016 ~ 28 February 2017 ~ 19 May 2018 ~ 19 February 2019 ~ 6 March 2020 ~ 22 June 2021 ~ 19 March 2022

Ringlet: 25 June 2015 ~ 24 June 2016 ~ 14 June 2017 ~ 20 June 2018 ~ 22 June 2019 ~ 20 June 2020 ~ 24 June 2021 ~ 18 June 2022

Silver-Washed Fritillary: not seen during 2015 ~ 23 July 2016 ~ not seen during 2017 ~ not seen during 2018 ~ not seen during 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ not seen during 2021 ~ 2022?

Small Copper: 4 May 2015 ~ 4 June 2016 ~ 10 May 2017 ~ 20 May 2018 ~ 21 April 2019 ~ 10 May 2020 ~ 7 June 2021 ~ 18 May 2022

Small Heath: not seen during 2015 ~ 26 May 2016 ~ 20 May 2017 ~ 20 May 2018 ~ 16 May 2019 ~ 9 May 2020 ~ 28 May 2021 ~ 29 May 2022

Small Skipper: 16 June 2015 ~ 24 June 2016 ~ 10 June 2017 ~ 15 June 2018 ~ 20 June 2019 ~ 9 June 2020 ~ 24 June 2021 ~ 15 June 2022

Small Tortoiseshell: 7 March 2015 ~ 28 January 2016 ~ 11 March 2017 ~ 22 March 2018 ~ 22 February 2019 ~ 21 March 2020 ~ 9 March 2021 ~ 8 March 2022

Small White: 7 April 2015 ~ 25 March 2016 ~ 11 March 2017 ~ 5 April 2018 ~ 28 March 2019 ~ 26 March 2020 ~ 22 March 2021 ~ 9 February 2022

Speckled Wood: 9 April 2015 ~ 6 March 2016 ~ 28 March 2017 ~ 19 April 2018 ~ 28 March 2019 ~ 9 April 2020 ~ 9 April 2021 ~ 21 March 2022

White Admiral: not seen during 2015 ~ 21 July 2016 ~ 24 June 2017 ~ 23 June 2018 ~ not seen during 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ not seen during 2021 ~ 2022?

White Letter Hairstreak: 22 July 2015 ~ not seen during 2016 ~ not seen during 2017 ~ not seen during 2018 ~ not seen during 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ not seen during 2021 ~ 2022?

Footnote:

Butterflies not seen in the London Borough of Bexley but seen elsewhere during 2022:

Dingy Skipper: 5 May 2022 (Hutchinson's Bank, the London Borough of Croydon)

 

Duke of Burgundy: 5 May 2022 (Chapel Bank, the London Borough of Croydon)

 

Grizzled Skipper: 5 May 2022 (Hutchinson's Bank, the London Borough of Croydon)

 

Purple Hairstreak: 30 June 2022 (Bostall Heath, the Royal Borough of Greenwich) 

Small Blue: (Hutchinson's Bank, the London Borough of Croydon)