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.
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Bryoria Fremontii, Horsehair Lichen
Day 262: "What's the black moss that looks like it's killing all the trees?" Well, my visiting friend, you got "black" right, but it's not a moss and it's not damaging the trees. "Oh, look, mom! I found some bear hair!" No, scout, that didn't come from a bear and it's not hair, although "hair" is part of its name. The correct reply to either of these suppositions is that this is Horsehair Lichen, known scientifically as Bryoria fremontii. Unappetizing as it may look, it is one of very few lichens which are considered edible. As such, it is also called Wila. Named for botanist/explorer John C. Frémont (as was Mount Rainier National Park's Mount Fremont), it is common in the drier subalpine zone where the tree canopy is more open. It does not damage the trees on which it occurs; rather, it takes advantage of the weakened bark structure of trees stressed by heat, cold, drought, or other environmental factors, and thus is more likely to be found on them. It is moderately sensitive to air quality which, given the number of smoky summers we've had in the past decade may be partly to blame for its decline at Paradise.
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