SIGNS OF A RAINFOREST

Guy’s website offers plenty of resources to help you identify a temperate rainforest fragment. But there are a few key epiphytes to look out for that are instant giveaways.

Polypody ferns have pimply, spore-bearing organs on the underside, and get their name (meaning many-footed) from the creeping movement of their stem systems.

And Guy’s personal favourite is tree lungwort. “It’s a huge lichen that looks like dragon scales. It got its name because medieval herbalists thought it looked like the interior of a lung and was good for treating respiratory diseases. It probably isn’t. Looks great, though.”