English: Warehouse Staining Fungus. At this point, the cycle route is hemmed in by the River Leven on one side, and a wall on the other; behind the wall, whisky barrels are piled high (a distillery is located there). Along this portion of the route, many of the trees beside the path are visibly blackened. This is often the case in areas that are close to bonded warehouses: trees, walls, and even houses often become covered in a dark mould. The photo shows the bark of one affected tree; a fairly featureless black mould covers much of the surface, contrasting with the lighter-coloured fresh surfaces that have been exposed by cracks in the bark.

The role that the proximity of whisky bonds plays in the formation of this mould has occasionally been played down by the industry. However, when I was on a tour of a (different) distillery, the tour guide pointed out a similar black mould on a wall, beside which barrels were being stored, and he ascribed it to the Angels' Share (the name given to the portion of whisky that is lost each year from barrels through evaporation).

(Such staining is also evident elsewhere on the course of the River Leven; near the Black Bridge, 952205, there are bonded warehouses on the eastern side of the river.)

Not for nothing is the common name of this mould "Warehouse Staining Fungus"; it is a phenomenon that has long been familiar from sites associated with Cognac production in mainland Europe.

For those who wish to know more about these black moulds and their causes, "warehouse staining fungus" is a useful search expression. In particular, see the site of Dr James Scott: http://individual.utoronto.ca/jscott/projects/baudoinia/baudoinia.html