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.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Yes, I Said Lichen
Day 181: The taxonomists have struck again. Only recently renamed Lichenomphalia umbellifera (formerly Omphalina umbellifera) is one of the most unusual lichens you may encounter. Wait, did you say "lichen?" Yes, I did. It is one of very few species of lichen which carries out its reproductive process in the same manner as a mushroom, i.e., with spores which grow out out of cells (basidiomycetes) rather than being contained within them (ascomycetes). The thallus (vegetative body) is actually the pea-green crust you see on the wood. The "mushroom" is the fruiting body. For once, I applaud the taxonomists. Now perhaps with its new name, this LICHEN will get the respect it deserves and will no longer be dismissed as "that little tan mushroom."
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