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.

 

HGS 2019 rocks and lichens

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!

 lichen at Rudston

Report by Janet Robson and Mike Horne.

Preliminary list of the lichens of Kirkburn, Kilham and Rudston Churches.  

by Mark Seaward

1 = Kirkburn (44/980.551), 2 = Kilham (54/064.644), 3 = Rudston (54/097.677)

 Stonework:

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,   2, 3

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 

 

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copyright Hull Geological Society 2019