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, October 28, 2016
Usnea Longissima, Mother Nature's Garland
Day 15: For me, the main attraction at Rainey Creek is a tree festooned with Usnea longissima, the lichen I call "Mother Nature's Garland." Its semi-official common name is "Methuselah's Beard," presumably derived from the great lengths it sometimes attains. Unlike other Usneas, it does not form branches off the central cord; it may grow up to 10 feet according to Brodo, but after tracing one strand back a full six, I'm inclined to think that may be a low estimate.
Longissima only thrives where the air is free of pollutants, a factor which may also account for the healthier-than-average population of mosquitoes along Rainey Creek. From the bridge where the Usnea Tree stands, the view shows other trees equally wreathed, but only immediately alongside the stream channel. I have found other wisps of this graceful lichen further from the creek, struggling for survival where they may have been dropped by a bird carrying potential nesting material. This Usnea occurs in other local areas, but to date, I have found none as lush as those along Rainey Creek...as good a reason as any to pay it a visit when the skeeters aren't flying!
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