© Mark SheridanSpecies Focus - Sycamore Tarspot (Rhytisma acerinum)
With autumn leaf-fall fast approaching, now is the perfect time to look for a common, but widely overlooked fungus.
© Tony Cumberlidge
Sycamore Tarspot is a fungal pathogen of Sycamore trees and forms distinctive black lesions fringed in yellow on the upper surface of their leaves. This fungus is sensitive to air pollution, and in areas with high Sulphur Dioxide levels it is difficult to find.
© Richard Gallon
The Cofnod database only holds 115 records of Sycamore Tarspot, with large areas of Snowdonia National Park without records. There’s no shortage of Sycamore trees and clean air in Snowdonia, so it should be easy to find new locations for this distinctive fungus in North Wales.
More information on this fungus species can be found here.
Please submit your records to the Cofnod ORS or the LERC Wales App.
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