Gloucestershire Orchard Group

The Gloucestershire Lichen Group (one of the specialist groups of the Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society) visited four orchards in 2003, at Bevington, Brookthorpe, Flaxley and Standish. The lists are given in the table at the end of this page.

These orchards are very different in character. At Brookthorpe and Flaxley they are big old orchards with vigorous standard trees in unimproved pasture. The Bevington orchard is a small site, with a few decrepit old trees near a farmstead, and the Standish orchard is a small orchard of young trees less than 30 years old, near the farm and near a road.

These differences are reflected well in their lichens. Brookthorpe and Flaxley both have more than 40 species, including some species that are relatively intolerant of pollution, such as Flavoparmelia caperata, Melanelia exasperata and Usnea subfloridana. Bevington, with fewer trees in the first place, still could have been expected to produce some of these species, but did not, perhaps because of its proximity to the farmstead where high nutrient levels will have restricted species. The range of species at Standish (less than 10) is very poor partly because the trees are young, but also because of high nitrogen levels and proximity to a road. Notably, none of the Parmelias were found here.

That having been said, the trees at Standish are smothered in lichen. The dominant species is Xanthoria parietina, a species renowned as a nitrogen lover. (This is the one that coats roof ridges where birds have perched.) Further into Gloucester city, even this variety of lichens on trees declines.

To conserve lichens in orchards

• maintain a range of species of tree
• maintain a good age range of trees (including young, mature, over-mature, and naturally decaying)
• leave dead wood in situ and in its original position if possible.
• unintensive pasture and/or hay regime
• avoid artificial fertiliser
• avoid pesticides

British Lichen Society

The British Lichen Society, c/o The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD

or, if you are interested in lichens in Gloucestershire, The Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society, or the GNS Lichen Group on lichen@potsherd.demon.co.uk

Glasshouse Orchard

View lichens

Lichens found in Gloucestershire orchards

(Recorder: Joy Ricketts, 2003)