Trip Report – 1 October 2016 :   Bryophyte and Lichen Workshop

This workshop was based in the Leonard Cockayne Centre, Otari-Wilton’s Bush.

First we learnt to fold and label collecting packets, and to identify specimens as either liverworts or mosses.   Then we went on a walk where Carol West described lichens, Peter Beveridge talked about mosses, and Rodney Lewington discussed liverworts.   It took us until after 12 noon to walk round a small area of Otari, looking at plants, collecting small quantities and labelling them, generally to genus level, but occasionally to species level.   It had been wet, but for the walk it was fine, so the specimens looked their best.

After lunch, we began dissecting and compound-microscope work.   We discussed the difference between sporophytes, lichen reproductive features, oil bodies and cell structure.   All these characters can aid identification.   Finally, we worked to identify the specimens collected during the morning.   We finished at 3.00 p.m.

Our thanks to Rewi Elliot for permission to use the Cockayne Centre, and to show and collect these small plants in Otari.

Participants : Ros Batcheler, Charles Blakiston, Susan Davey, Carolyn Dimattina, Bryan Halliday, Chris Horne, Brenda Johnston, Lesley Milicich, Barbara Mitcalfe, Allan Munro, Rose Payne, Shannon Reed, Lea Robertson, Penny Salmond, Darea Sherratt, Karin Sievwright, Sunita Singh, Julia Stace, Jon Terry, David Willyams.