16 Nov 2025
🌳 Discovering Hidden Wonders at Grove Farm! 🌿
Yesterday's Nature Walk with John Wells was a fantastic introduction to our beautiful Grove Farm Nature Reserve. We explored the tiny but mighty world of mosses and lichens—spotlighting species like the below:
🔍 Did you know:
🤝 Lichens are not single organisms, but amazing partnerships between fungi and either algae or cyanobacteria, each helping the other survive in tough conditions.
🌞 Some British lichens, like the brilliantly coloured Xanthoria parietina, can survive on exposed rocks, trees, and even rooftops, tolerating extreme dryness by becoming dormant.
🧱 Mosses such as Grimmia pulvinata thrive in urban areas, often colonising old walls and even rooftops due to their tolerance for drought and sun.
🪺 Moss and lichen communities provide nesting material for birds, shelter for minute insects, and store moisture that benefits other plants.
⏳ Lichens grow incredibly slowly, sometimes less than 1mm per year—some specimens can be over a hundred years old!
🙏 Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating Grove Farm’s rich biodiversity! Can't wait for our next adventure in the wild? 🌍
Why not join us via our Eventbrite page,