A Willow on the path approaching high deforestation.
Today's page is a bit unusual in that I'm showing photographs all taken from one specimen of Willow. Pictures are shown in sequence from highest to lowest. If these species are the ones I could see - with the naked eye - on the Willow, then we must assume there are others that I missed. Every specimen is a battleground.
Dull with frequent showers.
This is the larva of the Northern Eggar moth. It will pupate soon and overwinter as a chrysalis.
Xanthoria parietina must be one of my most common lichens. It is quite happy on wood or stone. The orange disks of the fruit bodies are clearly visible.
Two shots of Willow Tar Spot - Rhytisma salicinum, a fungus. I took a few close-up shots to see if I could zoom in and see the spore tubes. I notice that leaves that are affected by the fungus appear to stay on the tree longer than clean leaves. This must be to ensure a longer time for spore distribution.
This pale green alga was growing on a lower branch of the tree. It's either co-existing with or consuming another, paler, lichen.
The dark spots are another lichen - Lecidella elaeochroma - growing on the lowest part of the tree, close to the ground. The other pale green disks that can be seen in the middle and bottom of the image are the fruit bodies of a Lecanora, either L. chlarotera or L. carpinea.