Dull with showers.
Lobaria pulmonaria is a very interesting lichen. It is highly intolerant to sulphur dioxide and therefore acts as an indicator of clean air. In fact I only find it in this area, where clean winds blow in from the Atlantic. The non-fungal partner is a nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium and Lobaria species become nitrogen fertilisers when they fall to the ground. It's been calculated that kilograms of nitrogen are returned to the soil by lichen populations each year.
Lobaria virens:
A close-up of the fungal fruit-bodies of Lobaria virens.
This Peltigera reminded me of the overall structure of the Lobaria and it turns out they're both from the same order: Peltigerales. Maybe Peltigera praetextata.
Almost every leaf of Honeysuckle is 'decorated' with these leaf-miners in this area.
Chromatomyia aprilina - an Agromyzid fly.
This is from the very darkest location in Ards: an old quarry inside ancient mixed woodland. Light rarely reaches here and the constant humidity is excellent for fungi at the right time of year. At the moment, the most obvious species is Hydnum repandum - the Hedgehog (excellent eating).
