Life within life
Lichen is hardy. The salt spray, the desiccating sun, and the bitter wind don’t discourage it at all. They simply slow its …
Lichen on gravestones
Lichen is very slow growing. It helps that it often grows on stones with dates carved into them. It gives a different …
I’m lichen it
After nearly all life on Earth is extinguished there will still be lichens. Why? Because they’re a composite organism. Lichens are mixture …
Skies, blossom and monumental trees
We were in the north of Italy before the pandemic. Flowers were out in profusion on trees on the terraced hillsides. The …
Running up that hill in Madeira
It’s the first day of my time in Madeira. I’ve booked the cheapest place I can find to stay. It’s a room …
Gran Canaria – the outtakes
It’s been an incredible few days in Gran Canaria with my son. We’ve laughed and smiled at so many great experiences. The …
Challacombe Farm
Being delicious to humans has been one of the most successful evolutionary strategies of recent times. Farm animals now outweigh wild ones, …
Lichen on cobbles
I’ve been inspired by seeing how limpets have colonised a crack in a rock from year to year. I think I might …
Spring
Early in the morning the light is a cool blue There are signs of spring everywhere: The light warms to an amber …
The secret writing on a lichen
In Bridford Wood there’s a tree. On the tree is an unusual lichen; it’s called Graphis scripta, the Secret Writing Lichen. It’s …
Lichens on Hunters’ Path
We’re walking on Dartmoor along the Hunter’s Path towards the National Trust property Castle Drogo: Castle Drogo is another self-indulgent act of …
Trouble With Lichen
There’s lichen everywhere on Westray. It shows how clean the air is here, how salt-tolerant lichen is and also how difficult it …
Up, across or down?
The Westray coastline is so beautiful on a glorious day it’s hard to know whether to look up, look across or look …