Yesterday, whilst riding on the moor above Mariners Lodge, I spied a magnificent cock pheasant camouflaged in the autumn bracken. Fumbling for my camera, I quickly took several photos of him spreading his wings, drying his feathers and making the most of the warm sun on his back after a night of torrential rain.

I downloaded the pictures onto my computer for a better look at them and saw that in one, my horse had moved and I’d missed the pheasant and taken some blackthorn covered in lichen instead (see photo above).

This got me thinking!!  Does everyone know that something exists in nature which gauges air quality – something which needs undisturbed surfaces, time and clean air?

Lichens are bio indicators of high quality air in the environment. I remember reading that crusty lichens can survive in quite polluted air; leafy lichens tolerate small amounts of pollution but bushy…