Forestry fringes.
Occasionally bright with pulses of heavy rain.
This is a close-up of Cladonia portentosa - a frequently encountered lichen in this area. The segment shown is about 3cm. across.
Yellow Bartsia is a new species to this area. Our warming climate encourages it to move further northwards every year.
A number of studies are under way to measure the increase in our temperature. All the results show a year on year increase. But only time will tell if it's a temporary blip or something more long-term.
Obvious effects are a northward move in the range of some plants and insects. Additionally some lichens are deserting their southernmost reaches, presumably because it is too warm for them. The trend is so solid that we can predict, for example, that some butterflies will soon become three-brooded in the north of the country, since they have recently become so in the south.