Lichens Lichens - Scottish Natural Heritage

T he exceptional
Scottish climate
Lying on the western seaboard of Europe, in the track
of the Atlantic depressions, Scotland has a climate that
is unique in Europe. It is described as extreme
oceanic i.e. it is influenced by the surrounding seas.
The diagram opposite shows how even the
Scandinavian fjords, Brittany, Cornwall and Wales
have lower oceanicity scores. High values indicate a
combination of extreme humidity, abundant rainfall and
number of rain days (days when rain falls), persistent
cloudiness, cool summers and mild winters. The Gulf
Stream helps to make the climate warmer with the result
that along the west coast there are numerous sites, such
as Inverewe Gardens, where palm trees flourish.
Woodland lichens which grow best in, or require, a
mild, wet climate thrive here. Oak woods bordering
the western sea lochs are 'dripping' with lichens that
are rare in Europe as a whole.
A number of these lichens are endemic to Scotland
which means they occur nowhere else in the world.
The unusual climate affects all lichen communities. The
mountains in the west experience a lower snow cover
than those elsewhere and their rocks are so
continuously wet that lichen species normally restricted
to damp rock are ubiquitous. The wet ground favours
peat formation so some flat areas are covered with a
community known as blanket bog. The sodden
moorland that results has its own suite of very beautiful
lichens which can be seen beside trackways or around
the margins of disused peat cuttings. These include
clumps of reindeer lichens, patches of pixie-cup and
horn lichens (Cladonia species).
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