I lichen the look of you: A rare lichen-covered fingerpost that's been frozen in time and donated to the Natural History Museum

No, the road to Trentishoe Manor does not pass through the Natural History Museum. However, you will see a sign to it at the London institution — a specimen covered in 12 different rare lichens and ‘frozen in time’ — donated by the Exmoor National Park Authority.

The fingerpost features in the first new permanent gallery to open there in a decade — Fixing Our Broken Planet, launched in April — and is a lovely example of a manmade item that has been reclaimed by Nature. ‘We are so proud to produce our own fingerposts on Exmoor — they are milled from oak or chestnut, which has grown in Exmoor woodlands and the timber is a byproduct of our own woodland management (such as from fallen wood through storm damage),’ explains ranger Charlotte Wray. ‘Some of the lichens growing on this fingerpost indicate the high air quality on Exmoor, which is made possible through the lack of pollution and the presence of these highly functioning woodland ecosystems.’

However, donating a lichen-heavy fingerpost to the institution was not as simple as it ought to have been. The first sign to travel up to London absolutely hated leaving the wilds of Exmoor and its lichens ‘immediately perished’. The next one was stolen en route and is presumably now misdirecting someone, somewhere, somehow. Happily, the third attempt to transport and rehome a West Country fingerpost in South Kensington stuck.

‘There are currently over 3,000 wooden fingerposts on Exmoor and a considerable number of them are home to the many species of lichen to be found in this area,’ explains senior public rights of way and access officer Sue Applegate. ‘We managed to spare one that was reaching the end of its life, so we could share the lichen’s beauty and offer an example of nature-colonised manmade object… The Natural History Museum were very grateful and funded a new signpost, which hopefully will also attract more lichen species over years to come.’

Part-funded with a £1.64 million grant from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), among other support, the free gallery showcases ‘research from the brilliant scientists at the Natural History Museum, helping to educate, challenge and entertain the public on the natural world while demonstrating how we can all make a difference,’ adds Arts Minister Sir Chris Bryant. Other exhibits include a Sumatran rhino, whale earwax and ancient cow skulls.

Visit the Natural History Museum website for further information