Cladonia fimbriata

Up here, where the stones are wetted not by waves but only rain or occasional sea fret, there is a miniature world of lichens, coating their surfaces with extraordinary colours and textures.

lichens of shingle coasts, cup lichen, Cladonia fimbriata, and close relatives in the Cladonia chlorophea group.

A pale grey-green lichen forming small upright stalks, each topped with a neat flared cup, like a tiny trumpet or egg cup rising from the stones, often in loose scattered colonies rather than dense mats.

These are pioneer species, among the first to establish on younger, more seaward shingle ridges.