Hidden Gardens volunteers braved the weather to meet at Queen’s park to take part in an OPAL Air Quality survey. This survey uses biological indicators; species whose presence is sensitive to changes in environmental conditions.
Guided by Joanne Dempster from OPAL, we focused on looking at lichens with different sensitivities to nitrogen containing air pollutants and were amazed at how proficient we became in spotting different lichens in a short morning session. Our records will be uploaded to the national survey and will provide valuable information about levels of nitrogen containing air pollutants throughout the UK.
Not only are lichen good indicators of air quality, but they look pretty too!