A limestone drystone wall was interesting today near Scarborough.Jelly lichens seemed to be taking advantage of the water retention in cushions of moss.Any help with ID on the Jelly lichens would be greatfully accepted !🙂 - ThreadSky

mothman60.bsky.social • 29 days ago

A limestone drystone wall was interesting today near Scarborough.Jelly lichens seemed to be taking advantage of the water retention in cushions of moss.Any help with ID on the Jelly lichens would be greatfully accepted !🙂

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robyaxley.bsky.social•29 days ago

This looks like Nostoc, which is the photobiont component of many jelly lichens. You’d most often see apothecia on jelly lichens - which often grow near non-lichenised Nostoc.

mothman60.bsky.social•29 days ago

That is interesting !Don't think i've seen Nostoc on a wall amongst moss before.I usually see it on tarmac or amongst gravel.Thanks !

larkinlichen.bsky.social•28 days ago

I’m going to stick my neck out and disagree! I find jelly lichens without apothecia more often than with them (checked by seeing the fungal hyphae with microscopy). Nostoc tends to be bigger, thinner and floppier (and doesn’t have hyphae in with the cyanobacterial chains). >

robyaxley.bsky.social•28 days ago

I’m very much open to persuasion! 😀

barrygoldman1.bsky.social•28 days ago

excuse me... what (scientific name) are we calling jelly lichens here? i've seen little nostoc balloons on mud too.

what makes us think this is a lichen?

larkinlichen.bsky.social•28 days ago

Experience, mostly, having seen both Nostoc and jelly lichens (used to be Collema or Leptogium, but now lots of new names). Nostoc only has cyanobacterial chains and goo. Jelly lichens also have fungal hyphae, giving more form than ‘pure’ Nostoc. But they are more jelly-like than other lichens

mothman60.bsky.social•28 days ago

I have a small sample , so i will let it dry and try some microscopy on it !

larkinlichen.bsky.social•28 days ago

I’m doubting myself now though! But these two photos were of a non-fertile Enchylium tenax. The original post looks a bit browner though. Jellies aren’t easy, but they are so attractively weird!

larkinlichen.bsky.social•28 days ago

I could be wrong though (I’d dry a bit, section it and do microscopy to check). They are lovely photos. I’d consider Enchylium (Collema) tenax, but only as one possibility.

fayrnhawk.bsky.social•28 days ago

I'd expect to see hyphae in these samples. Collema tenax often occurs without apothecia but some of the lobes here seem too big for that species.

jennysea.bsky.social•28 days ago

Oh heck! I'm going to throw a suggestion of Scytinium plicatile (Leptogium plicatile) into the mix ........ https://www.irishlichens.ie/pages-lichen/l-459.html

larkinlichen.bsky.social•28 days ago

It did cross my mind! Microscopy helps!

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