Golden eye

Nice trip under the sun last Saturday to hunt lichens with my scientist fellows from ASNAT together with l’Université libre du Sud Quercy and la Société des Sciences Naturelles du tarn-et Garonne.

Under the guidance of Clother Coste, lichenologist, we learnt how to recognize many species like the one pictured above: Teloschistes chrysophthalmus, the golden eye.

The place was terrific with a view on the old village of Bruniquel: 

The site is also peculiar, it is a large chalk slope with many calcicole species like Verrucaria marmorea:

And many calcifuge species like Aspicilia contorta or Rhizocarpon geographicum on siliceous stones brought there several million years ago by the Aveyron River, when it eroded the plateau.