Nathan Chrismas
@thevagrantlichenologist.com
Lichenologist - FRGS - Mountain Leader - Outdoor Activities Engagement for the British Lichen Society
Blog: www.thevagrantlichenologist.com
Insta: www.instagram.com/cragology/
Web: www.cragology.rocks
Blog: www.thevagrantlichenologist.com
Insta: www.instagram.com/cragology/
Web: www.cragology.rocks
Nothing going on in the ascus tip, some nicely arranged globose hyaline spores, unbranched paraphyses, and an epithecium that turns vivid emerald green in K leads nicely to Schaereria cinereorufa, a circumpolar arctic-alpine of mineral rich rocks #lichenGBI
November 4, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Nothing going on in the ascus tip, some nicely arranged globose hyaline spores, unbranched paraphyses, and an epithecium that turns vivid emerald green in K leads nicely to Schaereria cinereorufa, a circumpolar arctic-alpine of mineral rich rocks #lichenGBI
I wasn't sure what I was going to get with this lumpy lecidioid thing (mica schist at ~800m VC96). I was half expecting a mutant Rhizo, but microscopy said otherwise....
#lichenGBI
#lichenGBI
November 4, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I wasn't sure what I was going to get with this lumpy lecidioid thing (mica schist at ~800m VC96). I was half expecting a mutant Rhizo, but microscopy said otherwise....
#lichenGBI
#lichenGBI
Stereocaulon condensatum. This is a thing frequently associated with mine spoil so really nice to see it in a more natural setting - exposed soil flushed by mineral rich rock at ~800m VC96 #lichenGBI
October 21, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Stereocaulon condensatum. This is a thing frequently associated with mine spoil so really nice to see it in a more natural setting - exposed soil flushed by mineral rich rock at ~800m VC96 #lichenGBI
Some very fine looking Trapeliopsis pseudogranulosa VC106 #LichenGBI
October 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Some very fine looking Trapeliopsis pseudogranulosa VC106 #LichenGBI
Another mysterious black crust from the same habitat, Schaereria fuscocinerea. Working out what this was in the field was a bit of a light bulb moment as it helped to put the other black crusts around (like O.m. and Rhizocarpon c.f. reductum) into context. #lichenGBI
October 15, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Another mysterious black crust from the same habitat, Schaereria fuscocinerea. Working out what this was in the field was a bit of a light bulb moment as it helped to put the other black crusts around (like O.m. and Rhizocarpon c.f. reductum) into context. #lichenGBI
Orphniospora moriopsis on gneissose granite, Strath Vaich. I think this thing is pretty underrecorded on account of it being a fairly mysterious black crust, but when it's mature it develops a distinct orange pruina which can help to tell it apart from other things
October 14, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Orphniospora moriopsis on gneissose granite, Strath Vaich. I think this thing is pretty underrecorded on account of it being a fairly mysterious black crust, but when it's mature it develops a distinct orange pruina which can help to tell it apart from other things
...and here it is! Only known from a few snow beds high up on the Cairngorm plateau. Great to finally see it on home turf.
October 13, 2025 at 2:41 PM
...and here it is! Only known from a few snow beds high up on the Cairngorm plateau. Great to finally see it on home turf.
Some super lichens here in the Dolomites. A favourite of the trip so far is Bellemerea alpina, a species that's incredibly scarce in the Cairngorms but in the heart of its range here.
July 3, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Some super lichens here in the Dolomites. A favourite of the trip so far is Bellemerea alpina, a species that's incredibly scarce in the Cairngorms but in the heart of its range here.
En route to the First Symposium of Alpine Lichenology. Very excited for this! I'll be discussing work from our Scottish hills and looking forward to putting it in the context of mountain environments on a wider scale.
June 29, 2025 at 6:53 AM
En route to the First Symposium of Alpine Lichenology. Very excited for this! I'll be discussing work from our Scottish hills and looking forward to putting it in the context of mountain environments on a wider scale.
Female Belted Beauty moth. This is the Scottish subspecies, Lycia zonaria atlantica, found on machair grassland in the Hebrides (here on Mingulay)
May 7, 2025 at 5:38 AM
Female Belted Beauty moth. This is the Scottish subspecies, Lycia zonaria atlantica, found on machair grassland in the Hebrides (here on Mingulay)
In Birmingham for our workshop on lichen microbiomes thanks to the NERC Arctic Office. Here's @ingeborgklarenberg.bsky.social talking about her work on lichen associated communities in Antarctica
March 28, 2025 at 11:15 AM
In Birmingham for our workshop on lichen microbiomes thanks to the NERC Arctic Office. Here's @ingeborgklarenberg.bsky.social talking about her work on lichen associated communities in Antarctica
Lots of this lovely Usnea ciliata to be found on the Grand Traverse of the Remarkables above Queenstown. A New Zealand endemic, one of its defining characteristics is the purple-black pigmentation at the ends of its branches
February 27, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Lots of this lovely Usnea ciliata to be found on the Grand Traverse of the Remarkables above Queenstown. A New Zealand endemic, one of its defining characteristics is the purple-black pigmentation at the ends of its branches
Currently in New Zealand and blown away by the lichen assemblages here. Many familiar genera, but new species to me and boy are those macrolichens BIG.
Here are Sticta latifrons, Yarrumia colensoi, and Stereocaulon ramulosum from the Mt Aspiring national park.
Here are Sticta latifrons, Yarrumia colensoi, and Stereocaulon ramulosum from the Mt Aspiring national park.
February 20, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Currently in New Zealand and blown away by the lichen assemblages here. Many familiar genera, but new species to me and boy are those macrolichens BIG.
Here are Sticta latifrons, Yarrumia colensoi, and Stereocaulon ramulosum from the Mt Aspiring national park.
Here are Sticta latifrons, Yarrumia colensoi, and Stereocaulon ramulosum from the Mt Aspiring national park.
Hunting for frosty Cladonia in the Cairngorms this morning. Glad to get fieldwork out of the way before the impending cataclysm of Storm Eowyn
January 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Hunting for frosty Cladonia in the Cairngorms this morning. Glad to get fieldwork out of the way before the impending cataclysm of Storm Eowyn
Good to be back at the NHM for the British Lichen Society AGM. Feels like a long long time since my last visit.
January 10, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Good to be back at the NHM for the British Lichen Society AGM. Feels like a long long time since my last visit.
Interested in lichen conservation? Check out our new article on the best way to go about carrying out lichen red list assessments.
January 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Interested in lichen conservation? Check out our new article on the best way to go about carrying out lichen red list assessments.
Really nice talk on lichen secondary metabolite production in response to environmental harshness in Antarctica by Inger de Jonge. Looking forward to reading the paper!
December 13, 2024 at 2:13 PM
Really nice talk on lichen secondary metabolite production in response to environmental harshness in Antarctica by Inger de Jonge. Looking forward to reading the paper!
Erika Hiltbrunner talking about the effect of drought on terricolous alpine lichens
December 13, 2024 at 11:34 AM
Erika Hiltbrunner talking about the effect of drought on terricolous alpine lichens
@scootjd.bsky.social on his neat peat phenology photo project
December 13, 2024 at 10:34 AM
@scootjd.bsky.social on his neat peat phenology photo project
Last up in the BES microbial ecology session is Marie Le Geay on microbial roles in peatland C cycling
December 12, 2024 at 4:47 PM
Last up in the BES microbial ecology session is Marie Le Geay on microbial roles in peatland C cycling
Josh Thurston on his PhD work on Sphagnum, Racomitrium and Cladonia microbiomes from our field site in the Cairngorms
December 12, 2024 at 3:48 PM
Josh Thurston on his PhD work on Sphagnum, Racomitrium and Cladonia microbiomes from our field site in the Cairngorms
Next up Tristan Lafont Rapnouil on Sphagnum microbiomes
December 12, 2024 at 3:16 PM
Next up Tristan Lafont Rapnouil on Sphagnum microbiomes
Vincent Jassey describing a cool reciprocal transplant experiment to look at the effects of warming on microbial primary productivity in peatlands. Extra points for NIN shirt.
December 12, 2024 at 3:07 PM
Vincent Jassey describing a cool reciprocal transplant experiment to look at the effects of warming on microbial primary productivity in peatlands. Extra points for NIN shirt.
Time for BES with the @func-ecol-lab.bsky.social crew @britishecolsoc.bsky.social
December 10, 2024 at 7:45 PM
Time for BES with the @func-ecol-lab.bsky.social crew @britishecolsoc.bsky.social
In the warm up to the carnival that is Kendal Mountain Festival, a bunch of folk went up Loughrigg with Trash Free Trails to litter pick and help them develop their citizen science programme. Nice day on the fell, and a tonne of litter picked.
November 21, 2024 at 5:00 PM
In the warm up to the carnival that is Kendal Mountain Festival, a bunch of folk went up Loughrigg with Trash Free Trails to litter pick and help them develop their citizen science programme. Nice day on the fell, and a tonne of litter picked.