Fairy Glen & Musbury Heights & Opposite-Leaved Golden Saxifrage

Got out today and noticed that Calf Hey Reservoir was well down. Maybe some repairs need to be done... Found a couple of new (to me) Lichens, photographed here, and then at the head of Fairy Glen on the Musbury Heights side found yet another different sort again. Following the old pathway alongside the old Musbury Heights Quarries you could still see the remnants of the old railway sleepers which once carried the railway lines. Further down you came to the ruins of the old Chimney and what I would presume the ruins of the old quarry Smithies.....


The top left photo is of the lichen family Stereocaulon and was found at the head of Fairy Glen on the Musbury Heights side on quarried rock left overs. The fungi shown on top right photo on small broken 1" diameter branch (which has numerous pink fruit bodies on it, is called The Coral Spot (Nectria cinnabarina) - The light pink globose fruit bodies are the imperfect (anamorphic) Tubercularia state of Nectria cinnabarina and also to the right hand side at the end of the branch there are a number of small groups of very tiny dark red "balls". Those are the teleomorphic stage of the same Nectria cinnabarina fungus (Quite amazing that they are both one and the same fungi) (I am indebted to Mike Valentine for the identification and also the interesting information in particular regard to Nectria cinnabarina). Also on the same photo the lime green powder lichen present on the stone is Chrysothrix chlorina. Also the Moss shown below right is Racomitrium aquaticum and is plentiful in the Top O'th Knoll area of Calf Hey. The first flowering flower of the year was this Opposite-Leaved Golden Saxifrage (shown below left) which is just starting to flower closeby to the small bridge crossing near Grane Head.