Golden-eye!

Down in darkest Dorset for a week and on Wednesday I visited Tadnoll and Winfrith Heath nature reserve, to get Dartford Warbler. I had hardly set foot on the reserve, when I noticed a piece of dead blackthorn branch which had been broken off and was lying on the floor. On it appeared to be a couple of tiny yellowy orange fuzzy lichens and even before I picked it up for a closer look, I guessed what I had found: Teleschistes chrysophthalmus, or Golden-eye Lichen.

Golden-eye Lichen. It looks imposing, but the plant in the photo is actually no larger than my fingernail.

I phoned the offices of Dorset Wildlife Trust, who's reserve it is, to ask if it was on the reserve species list. It wasn't and I was asked if I could provide a photo, which I emailed through to them. They passed it on to the bloke in the local records centre, who deals with Lichens and it was accepted as the seventh or eighth record of the species in Dorset.

I was chuffed to get a reserve first and also to actually see the thing in the flesh, as I still haven't had the chance to see the ones in the country park yet.