two fungi or moulds for ID

[animartco]

I sall try to put two pictures up of fungi or moulds I am worried about. One is attacking the lovely golden lichen on my acer flamingo. I hope it stops there and doesn't damage the tree, but neither do I want the lichen destroyed. It makes the branches a beautiful colour.
The second one is a very odd looking thing, like a thin celophane band wrapped round the trunk of an ibiscus 'bluebird', and covered in black oval splotches. I want to be sure it isn't anythin rare, and if not should I be worried and need to get out the fungicide?
Right here goes, are they going to behave an load onto this thread. They ARE in the Gallery.

[animartco]

second try. There is DEFINITELY something wrong with the crossing from Gallery to thread. Gallery is refusing to produce the pictures 70% of the time, and then suddenly for no apparent reason they appear! Got them!

[animartco]

I sent an imge in while ago now, asking what fungus was eating the lichen on my acer flamingo, but got no reply. It was covered in golden lichen late last year, and then these white circles appeared. They ate all the golden lichen, but left a pale grey skeletal lichen in its place. In the middle of the fungus ring the bark is bare. All that is visible is a white powdery circle, most active at the circumference.

[Chris Yeates]

it's impossible to be certain, but there are fungi which do this - one classic one is Athelia arachnoidea, which does look like this . . .

it's a battle ground out there - there are cases of 'pirate' lichens which will steal the algae of rivals and kill them through starvation, ones that grow together peacefully, and all sort of intermediates; it's nature doing its thing

remind you of another (vertebrate) species?

Chris

[animartco]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

it's impossible to be certain, but there are fungi which do this - one classic one is Athelia arachnoidea, which does look like this . . .

it's a battle ground out there - there are cases of 'pirate' lichens which will steal the algae of rivals and kill them through starvation, ones that grow together peacefully, and all sort of intermediates; it's nature doing its thing

remind you of another (vertebrate) species?


Chris

Thanks Chris. Why is it called spider? never mind. If it is fungus I hope it won't damage my tree? It will be just on the surface of the bark won't it?