Dog Lichen 
A lichen (being a fungus and bacteria) of damp, poorly drained soils, often of low nutritional and acidic status, especially in shaded areas. Its scientific name is Peltigera canina. It looks like a curled-up leaf, having a surface colour of grey-brown-black but with a whitish-grey coloured-backing. Routine and appropriate maintenance work including aeration and a light sanding of the surface, along with scarification and a light fertiliser application during the growing season only should control and then prevent the return of this disorder in a turfgrass sward.
Dog-rose
A common arching large shrub of hedges having prominent backward pointing hooked thorns. It is hairless with toothed leaves, having whitish to pinkish coloured flowers up to 5cm in diameter: The flowering period is from June to July. Its scientific name is Rosa canina.
Dry Patch
An irregular area of turf which has become drought stressed and is difficult to rewet due to the presence of a water repellent agent within the soil, typically within the top 50mm of the surface. Beneath this affected area there is often a dry area which can be dust dry with very limited root penetration, or no roots. Where the sward is patchy in small affected areas, this might be termed Localised Dry Patch (LDP), but there is no consensus on this distinguishing nuance.
Field Bindweed
A common perennial weed of borders, hedge bottoms, verges and short amenity turf. It has trailing stems and will also climb up vegetation, pink-white trumpet shaped flowers, flowering from June to September. Its scientific name is Convolvulus arvensis.
Goat’s-beard
A common upright annual to perennial plant of verges, meadows and general amenity turf. It has narrow linear leaves and is more common on drier soils. The flowers are similar to dandelions, being yellow but with eight protruding bracts which look a little like hands of a clock, with the flowering period being from June to August. Its scientific name is Tragopogon pratensis.
Gorse
A distinctive evergreen densely spiky shrub, which is widespread and common in open habitats on acidic and sandy soils, being suitable for use on golf courses adjoining areas of rough or woodland. The spiky leaves are furrowed and up to about 25mm in length, whilst the yellow flowers are about 15mm in length. The main flowering period is from March to May, but it can flower throughout the year. Its scientific name is Ulex europaeus.
Hawthorn
A common native, thorny, shrub which is suitable for hedges and field boundaries, and especially as forming a wildlife corridor surrounding or dissecting large areas of amenity grass. It has 5-white coloured petals, flowering during May and June. Its scientific name is Crataegus monogyna.
Hogweed
A common upright biennial to perennial to about 1.8m height, being present around hedgerows, woodland, and grassland. It has a hairy stem, with large lobed leaves, whilst the flower head is an umbel with many white petals and branches (rays): The flowering period is from the end of May to September. Its scientific name is Heracleum sphondylium.
Lichen
An organism which consists of a fungus and either an alga or a cyanobacterium, living as a single entity in a mutually beneficial association, called symbiosis. Fungal lichens belong to the Ascomycota phylum. Dog Lichen is a common turf weed, whilst Collema spp. may be present on surfaces which have been routinely over-watered.
Mushroom
A fruiting body of a fungus. They can vary in appearance, including a general field type mushroom to a puffball mushroom, to large or small. They can appear suddenly overnight in a lawn or sports turf surface, especially when moisture and temperature are just right for their development. When larger mushrooms, especially the puffball sort, are present they should be hand-picked before mowing, otherwise they will be squashed and chopped up. Whilst some of the mushroom will be collected in a grass box, a significant amount will be squashed into the surface and will look unsightly. Finer stemmed
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