Sylvia Davidson
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sylviad.bsky.social
Sylvia Davidson
@sylviad.bsky.social
920 followers 960 following 390 posts
Wanderer through the Sussex countryside by foot, bus and train. Love lichens, fungi, flowers, insects...well anything and everything living there is to see.
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A mosaic of lichen on a Sussex fencepost #lichens #lichenGBI
The photo shows a wooden fencepost covered by several different species of lichen all growing in a mosaic formation. The different coloured dots are the lichen's fruit. The one with black dots is Lecidella elaeochroma, the one with creamy/brown dots is Lecanora hybocarpa. In between is a green one with no dots called Lecanora compallens. At the top is a ridged green lichen called Diplocia canescens and off to the right and near the bottom are shrubby young Ramalina lichen.
November 14, 2025 at 4:42 PM
sylviad.bsky.social
They are very well preserved and lovely, but was there a cool Virgin Mary on a skateboard. Seen recently in Coombes church, Sussex
November 3, 2025 at 1:48 PM
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In a small Sussex woodland next to an industrial estate grows Phlyctis agelaea on Ash. It's an unassuming lichen with fruit lurking under a layer of white pruina, but just look at those spores - the loveliest I've ever seen. Also a rare sight for Sussex, but probably over-looked #lichenGBI #lichens
The spores of the lichen of Phlyctis agelaea at x400 magnification in KOH. They are muriform, with numerous lateral and vertical septa, and are around 80 micrometers long, with a distinctive point at each end. They have been described as 'pea-pod' shaped. A spores of the lichen of Phlyctis agelaea at x1000 magnification in KOH. They are muriform, with numerous lateral and vertical septa, and are around 80 micrometers long, with a distinctive point at each end. They have been described as 'pea-pod' shaped. The lichen Phlyctis agelaea with round fruit or apothecia hidden under a thick layer of pruina or white crystalline powder. The apothecia are set on a light green thallus, the main body of the lichen.
October 12, 2025 at 1:56 PM
sylviad.bsky.social
Couple of highlights from a churchyard survey of lichens today - Dermatocarpon miniatum forming rosettes on a limestone tomb and the form of Lecidella elaeochroma with soredia, which show as very bright yellow under UV #lichenGBI #lichens
September 26, 2025 at 7:12 PM
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Today's Sussex sky was full of hundreds of House Martins feeding up for the journey ahead #birds
September 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
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A few lovelies from Friston Forest, Sussex, today - Tan Ear, Crested Coral, Porcelain fungus, and last, but definitely not least, the beautiful Saffrondrop Bonnet #FungiFriends #fungi
The Tan Ear fungus that looks like a scroll of brown paper. The outside is cream and the inside is much darker brown. The fungi is set among twigs and brown leaves Crested Coral fungus that consists of numerous white/cream stems rising from dead leaves of the wood floor. The ends of the fungus are split giving them a feathery look. Porcelain fungus sprouting from a rotten log. Four white shiny fungi have cream stems. The tops of the fungi look almost wet due to mucus on them. Saffrondrop Bonnet with a delicate narrow orange stem and a yellow/orange cap. The fungus is growing from the wood floor of twigs and dead leaves.
September 21, 2025 at 6:33 PM
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A huddle of gossiping Bonnet fungi in the forest - Friston Forest, Sussex #FungiFriends #fungi
A photo looking upwards underneath Bonnet fungi with grey stems and cream tops. The stems are attached to the wood with numerous hyphae that look like cream fluff.
September 21, 2025 at 4:47 PM
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Three cheeky chickens were amusing company on the survey of churchyard lichen yesterday- they’re not very good at ID, but did try to eat my copy of Dobson’s Lichens of Britain & Ireland. Also you just can’t help but chat to chickens. #lichens
Three chickens pecking around a gravestone surrounded by grass Chicken pecking at a copy of Dobson’s Lichens of Britain and Ireland Chicken standing on the book Dobson’s Lichens of Britain and Ireland
September 6, 2025 at 10:38 AM
sylviad.bsky.social
Nice find this weekend, the lichen Pertusaria coccodes not in its usual position on a tree but on siliceous stone in a churchyard. It has distinctive thick-finger projections or isidia with brown tips and it turns yellow to red (eventually - have patience) when tested with KOH #lichenGBI #lichen
A white circle of thallus on a siliceous gravestone of the lichen Pertusaria coccodes with patches of darker grey where the isidia (finger-like projections) are. Close-up of the isidia (finger-like projections) on the lichen Pertusaria coccodes. They are numerous and white with brown tips.
September 1, 2025 at 11:25 AM
sylviad.bsky.social
Colour in the Sussex woods today - lots of these Beefsteak fungi (Fistulina hepatica) on dead Oak - such an odd spongy and bouncy texture to them - and a bolete living under the Oak #FungiFriday #fungi #FungiFriends
A bright red wet semi-circular fungus growing out of wood, pictured with green leaves behind. A fungi with a white stalk and an orange cap sitting in dead leaves
August 29, 2025 at 5:47 PM
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Looking very liquorice-like - a massive swarm of the fungi Black Bulgar (Bulgaria inquinans) on fallen logs today - Sussex #FungiFriday #fungifriends #fungi
August 29, 2025 at 4:53 PM
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Interesting, small and beautiful companions on my blackberrying today - one of the snail killer flies, a spider watching me warily from a Yarrow flower and a Gorse Shieldbug - Devil's Dyke, Sussex #bugs #spiders #flies
A small fly with beautifully patterned wings on the edge of a yellow petal. One of the flies whose larvae kill snails and so is sometimes referred to as a snail killer fly. Tiny cream and brown spider staring warily at me from a Yarrow flower. An adult shield bug on a bramble leaf. The pattern on the shield bug looks like panelling in shades of green and brown
August 23, 2025 at 5:04 PM
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Brilliantly camouflaged moth caterpillar on lichen. I think this might be a species of Catocala, possibly Light Crimson Underwing (Catocala promissa), but not certain. It was found on a Maple not Oak, in Sussex. #teammoth
August 23, 2025 at 4:41 PM
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A pristine Small Copper and a battle-weary Adonis Blue on Devil's Dyke, Sussex, today #butterflies
A Small Copper butterfly on the top of brown seedheads of Yellow Rattle. The butterfly has orange forewings patterned with brown and brown hindwings with an orange lower edge. An Adonis Blue butterfly on a leaf. One of the butterfly's hind wings has a large bite mark in it.
August 23, 2025 at 4:26 PM
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The Banded General (Stratiomys potamida) - a Soldierfly that looks like a wasp that's been stepped on #flies
The soldierfly called the Banded General. Its abdomen is flattened and striped yellow and black, with a black thorax and large black eyes. It's sitting on hogweed flowers
August 5, 2025 at 4:58 PM
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The woods smell different now - rising up through the leaves are the fungi - Milkcaps, Brittlegills and soft velveteen Bolete as big as a baby's bottom #fungi
The underside of a Milkcap fungi showing the gills with a 'milk' like fluid seeping from them. A brown Bolete fungi growing through leaves on the wood floor, with trees in the background. A Brittlegill fungi with a red cap and a white stalk growing up through leaves on the wood floor
August 5, 2025 at 4:49 PM
sylviad.bsky.social
Look at what might be growing on the moss as well. The micarea on the rocks near here are M. lignaria var lignaria, M. viridileprosa, M. prasina, M. hedlundii, also the Lepraria as you know. Near me Bunodophoron melanocarpum (photo) grows on the rocks, but that I think is very rare.
July 27, 2025 at 6:15 PM
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There are several sandstone outcrops in Sussex, my area, and I was looking at the records recently. They have several Cladonia, but also a number of Micarea, Baeomyces rufus, and my favourite, which I only found a few days ago - Cystocoleus ebeneus (photo), looking like a black hairy mess
July 27, 2025 at 6:10 PM
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A butterfly day on the South Downs - Marbled White, Small Copper, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper #butterflies
Marbled White, a black and white checked butterfly, on a the pink flower head of Knapweed Small Copper, an orange and black marked butterfly, on the yellow flowers of Ragwort. Meadow Brown, a light brown butterfly with an eye spot on the upper wing, on the pink flower head of Creeping Thistle Gatekeeper, an orange and brown butterfly with a double eye spot on the upper wing, sitting on a pink bramble flower
July 12, 2025 at 3:55 PM
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One lucky Common Candy-striped spider (Enoplognatha ovata s. lat) this morning - got itself a nice big breakfast @britishspiders.bsky.social #spiders
July 12, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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So I fold the paper in quarters before I glue so the sample is funnelled to the centre and held on the glue, hopefully. Seems to work well, except in a high wind
July 7, 2025 at 4:38 PM
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On a 250 year old gravestone in Sussex - Cladonia coniocrea - perfectly capturing a mood #lichensGBI
Close-up of the lichen Cladonia coniocrea. This photo shows the lichen's podetia, its spore-forming structures, that are a few cm high with pointy ends. Strung between them is the remains of a spider web. They are growing on a 250 year old sandstone gravestone in mid Sussex. To the left is a moss and to the top right is the light-green foliose lichen Flavoparmelia caperata.
July 5, 2025 at 4:51 PM
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Lesser Centaury - mind bogglingly perfectly pink
The flowers of the Lesser Centaury are shown. They have five very deep pink petals.
July 4, 2025 at 8:36 PM
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Say hello to a new fashion icon - the Green Tortoise Beetle larvae, wearing this season's must-have, a 'coat' of cast skins and droppings. #beetles
July 4, 2025 at 8:02 PM
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Its been a number of years since I've had such a butterfly-filled day as today - 16 species altogether, including those shown - White Admiral, Brimstone, Small Copper and Silver-washed Fritillary. Friston Forest, Sussex #butterflies @savebutterflies.bsky.social
The White Admiral butterfly - a butterfly with a black/dark brown background to its wings with a white pattern. It's sitting on a bramble flower with unripe blackberries next to it. A male Brimstone butterfly. The butterfly is light green with wings that are shaped like leaves giving it perfect camouflage. Shown sitting on unripe blackberries. The Small Copper. The butterfly has an orange of black checkerboard pattern on its forewings and lower wings edged with orange. The butterfly sits on a purple thistle flower. The Silver-washed Fritillary. This butterfly is predominantly orange with markings of black stripes and spots. It sits on pink bramble flowers.
July 4, 2025 at 7:55 PM