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.
Monday, January 7, 2019
Melanelixia Glabratula
Day 86: Some rather interesting deconstructive typographical errors on line made it difficult for me to identify Melanelixia glabratula (formerly M. fuliginosa). This species is one of very few "camouflage" lichens present in the Pacific Northwest. Its army-fatigues colour is due to its green algal photobiont; other lichens such as the Parmelia sulcata to its left and the Usnea along the bottom of the twig depend on blue-green cyanobacteria as their photosynthetic partner. The underside of this Melanelixia is black, exhibiting simple, unforked rhizines (root-like structures). On my next exploration of Rainey Creek, I'll look for more of it. I only found it in one small area during my recent hike.
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