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 11, 2021
Peltigera Membranacea, Membranous Dog Lichen
Day 90: Although they resemble roots, rhizines such as those found on the undersides of Peltigera lichens, these non-vascular structures do not play a role in the lichens' uptake of nutrients. Rather, they are what attach it to its substrate material. They occur in many forms and sizes: hairlike, forked, branched, bottle-brush; short, long, dense, sparse and so on. The morphology of the rhizines is diagnostic in many foliose lichen genera, so a hand lens is a valuable tool to have in the field. In this instance, we have Peltigera membranacea, commonly known as Membranous Dog Lichen. Why "Dog?" The common name has always baffled me, so I turned to the internet for help with the mystery. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, it addresses the resemblance of the fruiting bodies to dogs' teeth. Personally, I think they look more like zombie fingernails.
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