Humberside Geologist no. 16
Report of the “Churches, Lichens and Rocks” field meeting
led by Janet Robson, Mark Seaward and Mike Horne
held on Saturday 29th June 2019.
A
group of about 22 members of the Hull Geological Society and friends gathered at the first stop,
Saint Mary’s Church at Kirkburn, where a coffee morning was also being held.
Professor Mark Seaward of Bradford University joined us for the day showing us
the different lichens to be found on different surfaces, in different areas and
what a difference a tree can make. David Adamson (the Church Warden) gave a
brief history of the 900 year old church. As the graveyard is a conservation
area for the wild orchids found there we were not able to examine any
gravestones, but many lichens were found on the paving stones around the bench
near the path and a cherry tree was of great interest, with lichen found on one
of its dead branches. The church is made of a variety of limestones and oolites
and the gravestones seemed to be mainly “York Stone”. The lead lettering was
seen to be falling off one marble memorial, indicating erosion by an acidic
environment. {insert pictures}
The
heat of the day was beyond imagination, but there was a cooling breeze in the
shade of the trees at All Saints Church at Kilham, where lunch was taken. Again,
Mark enjoyed his visit and found on one tomb 20 different lichens, so more was
added to his report. One lichen he found is nearly extinct in Sweden due to
children dressing up as Gnomes and using the lichen as beards. The church porch
is made of limestone on the inside and bricks on the outside, made from Boulder
Clay. The outside of the church was mostly made of limestones, but some darker
fossiliferous rocks were observed.
All
Saints Church at Rudston was the last port of call, with the famous sandstone
monolith in its grounds. This proved to be the most geo-diverse site we visited
with graveyard memorials made of “York Stone”, Carrara Marble, red granite, pale
grey granite and granodiorite. Again more lichens were found, even the ones Mark
had studied for his Ph.D. thesis!
Report by Janet Robson and Mike Horne.
Preliminary list
of the lichens of Kirkburn, Kilham and Rudston Churches.
1
= Kirkburn (44/980.551), 2 =
Kilham (54/064.644), 3 = Rudston
(54/097.677)
Acarospora
fuscata 1, 2, 3
A. rufescens
1, 3
Aspicilia
calcarea 1, 2, 3
Belonia
nidarosinensis
3
Buellia aethalea
1, 3
Caloplaca citrina
1, 2, 3
C. flavescens
1, 2, 3
C. holocarpa
1, 2, 3
Candelariella
aurella 1, 3
C. medians
1
C. vitellina
1, 2, 3
Diploicia
canescens 1, 2, 3
Dirina massiliensis
forma
sorediata 1, 2
Haematomma ochroleucum
var.
ochroleucum 1,
2,
3
Haematomma ochroleucum
var.
porphyrium 1,
Lecania erysibe
1
Lecanora
albescens 1, 2, 3
L. campestris
1, 2, 3
L. dispersa
1, 2, 3
L. expallens
1, 3
L. muralis
2, 3
L. orosthea
1
L. pannonica
1, 3
L. polytropa
1, 2
L. rupicola
1
L. soralifera
1, 3
L. sulphurea
3
Lecidea grisella
1
Lecidella scabra
1, 2
L. stigmatea
1
Lepraria incana
s.lat.
1, 2, 3
Melanelixia
fuliginosa 1, 3
Opegrapha
calcarea 2, 3
Phaeophyscia
orbicularis 2, 3
Physcia
adscendens 1, 3
P. caesia
2, 3
Placynthium
nigrum
3
Porpidia
soredizodes 1
P. tuberculosa
1, 2
Psilolechia
lucida 1, 2
Ramalina
siliquosa 2
Rhizocarpon
reductum 1, 2
Rinodina oleae
1
Tephromela atra
1, 3
Verrucaria
muralis 1, 2
V. nigrescens
1, 2, 3
V. viridula
1, 2
Xanthoria
parietina 1, 3
Trees & shrubs
Amandinea
punctata 1
Lecanora
chlarotera 1, 3
Lecidella
elaeochroma 1, 3
Lepraria incana
s.lat.
1
Melanelixia
subaurifera 1
Parmelia sulcata
1
Phaeophyscia
orbicularis 1, 3
Physcia
adscendens 1, 3
P. caesia
1
P. tenella
1, 3
Physconia grisea
1
Usnea subfloridana
1
Xanthoria candelaria
s.lat.
1
X. parietina
1, 3
Other taxa recorded on stonework on
previous visits:
Caloplaca
decipiens 2, 3
C. saxicola
3
Diploschistes
scruposus 2
Diplotomma
alboatrum
1
Lecanora
conizaeoides 2, 3
L. muralis
1
L. rupicola
3
L. sulphurea
1
Ochrolechia
parella 1, 2, 3
Parmelia
saxatilis
3
Physconia grisea
3
Rhizocarpon
geographicum
1
R. reductum
3
Rinodina oleae
3
R. teichophila
2
Toninia aromatica
2
M. R. D. Seaward / 4.7.2019