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.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Cladina Rangiferina, Reindeer Lichen
Day 185: Cladina rangiferina is one of several species erroneously referred to as "reindeer moss." While it is consumed by caribou, reindeer and other ungulates as a major component in their diets, only the "reindeer" portion of its common name is accurate. "Moss" is incorrect. Cladina rangiferina is in fact a lichen. Like many members of its genus, it prefers a habitat of thin soil, often colonizing where nothing but moss and other lichens grow. It can be identified by branch tips which appear to be combed to one side. The branches frequently exhibit brown pycnidia on their tips. At Longmire Campground, it occurs in abundance in open areas.
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