Improvers lichen microscopy on Zoom

Date: Monday 24th September 2025 

Time: 19.00-20.30

This ‘Improvers’ microscopy group on Zoom is open to anyone who has some experience of microscopy with lichens. It is fine to just attend one or two sessions. We meet monthly to share short presentations and have informal discussion about techniques and the interpretation of what we have been looking at under the microscope.

Questions and contributions especially welcome if you are lacking confidence. We’re all learning.  If you haven’t shared photos in a Zoom session before, don’t be put off, we can help you with that.

Contact: To join this session, or for more information, contact Ann Claypole:  annclaypole@gmx.com

If you have only recently started using a microscope, you might prefer the basics microscopy group.
Read more here:

https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/online-zoom#MICROSCOPE

Improvers lichen microscopy on Zoom

Date: Monday 27th October 2025 

Time: 19.00-20.30

This ‘Improvers’ microscopy group on Zoom is open to anyone who has some experience of microscopy with lichens. It is fine to just attend one or two sessions. We meet monthly to share short presentations and have informal discussion about techniques and the interpretation of what we have been looking at under the microscope.

Questions and contributions especially welcome if you are lacking confidence. We’re all learning.  If you haven’t shared photos in a Zoom session before, don’t be put off, we can help you with that.

Contact: To join this session, or for more information, contact Ann Claypole:  annclaypole@gmx.com

If you have only recently started using a microscope, you might prefer the basics microscopy group.
Read more here:

https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/online-zoom#MICROSCOPE

Improvers lichen microscopy on Zoom

Date: Monday 29th September 2025 

Time: 19.00-20.30

This ‘Improvers’ microscopy group on Zoom is open to anyone who has some experience of microscopy with lichens. It is fine to just attend one or two sessions. We meet monthly to share short presentations and have informal discussion about techniques and the interpretation of what we have been looking at under the microscope.

Questions and contributions especially welcome if you are lacking confidence. We’re all learning.  If you haven’t shared photos in a Zoom session before, don’t be put off, we can help you with that.

Contact: To join this session, or for more information, contact Ann Claypole:  annclaypole@gmx.com

If you have only recently started using a microscope, you might prefer the basics microscopy group.
Read more here:

https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/online-zoom#MICROSCOPE

Strathclyde Group Field Meeting

Date: 23rd September 2025

Location: Boden Boo/Erskine Harbour

Time: 10.00 am

Meeting place: car park at the end of Old Ferry Road off the A726. Grid reference is NS462720.

Details: This is a mixed woodland area with some estuarine coast and older stone structures. 

The nearest facilities are at Caulders Garden Centre beneath the Erskine Bridge.  There are no easy public transport options to this site but there are frequent buses to Bridgewater shopping centre in Erksine. The X23 runs from Glasgow City Centre every half hour. Anyone wishing to travel by public transport can be collected from Bridgewater Shopping Centre or Paisley Gilmour Street train station.

Please contact paisleylichens@gmail.com to let us know you are coming and letting us know if you need a lift.

Tayside Lichen Group field meeting

Date: Wednesday 10 September 2025

Location: Braemar, Aberdeenshire

Time: 10.30 am

Duration: Approx. 2 hrs

For more information, contact Margaret Chapman    mgtlichenchapman@gmail.com

More information about this local group can be found here; https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/local-groups/tayside

Tayside Lichen Group field meeting

Date: Tuesday 9 September 2025

Location: Braemar, Aberdeenshire

Time: 10.30 am

Duration: Approx. 2 hrs

For more information, contact Margaret Chapman    mgtlichenchapman@gmail.com

More information about this local group can be found here; https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/local-groups/tayside

Strathclyde Lichen Group field meeting

Location: Knapps Loch near Kilmalcolm

Date: 29th July 2025

Time: 10 am start, aiming to finish by 3pm

Meet: We will meet at the larger of the two laybys (the one with the snack van) off the A761 just before Kilmalcolm if you are coming from Bridge of Weir.

The grid reference is NS362681, What three words is ///mouth.brilliant.qualifier

Details: A packed lunch and drinks should be brought with you along with suitable clothing for the weather. The paths are in a good condition but can be muddy and there are some slopes.

The site is a mixture of farmland with many old dry stone dykes and some planted mixed woodland. There are also areas of exposed rock in the higher parts of the wood. We will survey monads NS3668 and NS3768 which have very few existing records.

There are no facilities at Knapps Loch but Bridge of Weir and Kilmalcolm have cafes and shops.

Can you let us know if you are coming by e mailing Paisleylichens@gmail.com

We may discuss car sharing once we know who is coming.

Basics Lichen Microscopy on Zoom

Date: Monday 8th December 2025

Time: 19.00 to 20.30 (approx)

Frequency: zoom meetings are usually every month - check events listing for dates

Details

This ‘Basics’ microscopy group on Zoom is an informal support group held each month, open to anyone who has recently started to study lichens using microscopy. We meet to share a few photos or short presentations, and to discuss techniques and the interpretation of what we have been looking at under the microscope.

Participants will already have both a dissecting microscope and a high-powered compound microscope with magnification to at least x400. You will know how to use your microscopes and will already have had a go at cutting lichen sections, even if with only limited success.  You may have already taken part in an introductory ‘live’ microscopy course.

The main aim of the sessions is to ask questions, to gain confidence, to get better at cutting sections and to understand what you see.
If you haven’t shared photos in a Zoom session before, don’t be put off, we can help you with that.

Contact: To join this session, or for more information, contact Monica Farrow at monicafarrow1@gmail.com

Lots of useful information about lichen microscopy can be found on the BLS website page “Microscope Work”: 

https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/learning/microscope-work 

The two links on that page to information about cutting sections, written by John Skinner and Mark Powell, will be particularly useful.

Basics Lichen Microscopy on Zoom

Date: Monday 10th November 2025

Time: 19.00 to 20.30 (approx)

Frequency: zoom meetings are usually every month - check events listing for dates

Details

This ‘Basics’ microscopy group on Zoom is an informal support group held each month, open to anyone who has recently started to study lichens using microscopy. We meet to share a few photos or short presentations, and to discuss techniques and the interpretation of what we have been looking at under the microscope.

Participants will already have both a dissecting microscope and a high-powered compound microscope with magnification to at least x400. You will know how to use your microscopes and will already have had a go at cutting lichen sections, even if with only limited success.  You may have already taken part in an introductory ‘live’ microscopy course.

The main aim of the sessions is to ask questions, to gain confidence, to get better at cutting sections and to understand what you see.
If you haven’t shared photos in a Zoom session before, don’t be put off, we can help you with that.

Contact: To join this session, or for more information, contact Monica Farrow at monicafarrow1@gmail.com

Lots of useful information about lichen microscopy can be found on the BLS website page “Microscope Work”: 

https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/learning/microscope-work 

The two links on that page to information about cutting sections, written by John Skinner and Mark Powell, will be particularly useful.

Basics Lichen Microscopy on Zoom

Date: Monday 10th October 2025

Time: 19.00 to 20.30 (approx)

Frequency: zoom meetings are usually every month - check events listing for dates

Details

This ‘Basics’ microscopy group on Zoom is an informal support group held each month, open to anyone who has recently started to study lichens using microscopy. We meet to share a few photos or short presentations, and to discuss techniques and the interpretation of what we have been looking at under the microscope.

Participants will already have both a dissecting microscope and a high-powered compound microscope with magnification to at least x400. You will know how to use your microscopes and will already have had a go at cutting lichen sections, even if with only limited success.  You may have already taken part in an introductory ‘live’ microscopy course.

The main aim of the sessions is to ask questions, to gain confidence, to get better at cutting sections and to understand what you see.
If you haven’t shared photos in a Zoom session before, don’t be put off, we can help you with that.

Contact: To join this session, or for more information, contact Monica Farrow at monicafarrow1@gmail.com

Lots of useful information about lichen microscopy can be found on the BLS website page “Microscope Work”: 

https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/learning/microscope-work 

The two links on that page to information about cutting sections, written by John Skinner and Mark Powell, will be particularly useful.