365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Spotlight On Cladonia Bellidiflora
Day 46: C. bellidiflora is a fairly common Cladonia here in the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps its success is due to the abundant squamules which typically cover its podetia. Okay, I threw a couple of unfamiliar words out there and to save my readers from having to scramble to their dictionaries, I'll explain. A lichen's stems are called "podetia" (singular "podetium") and the squamules are the little leaf-like structures growing along them. These "leaves" allow the lichen to trap nutrient-laden moisture and conserve it in the dry season. "Apothecia" are the fruiting bodies of the lichen (in this species, bright red knobs). Cladonia bellidiflora is particularly showy, although generally, most people walk right by colonies unless the apothecia are readily evident and happen to catch a hiker's eye. It is one of several "lipstick" lichens you'll find in our forests, and in my experience, seems to have a preference for decaying cedar stumps and logs.
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