Icmadophila Ericetorum, Fairy Barf

Day 108: Let's talk about evolution for a moment, specifically the evolution of language. Language, like any other living organism, evolves over time. Not only do some strains die off, others mutate from their original form, while others spring up seemingly out of nowhere and spread with the rapidity of a virus. Here, I'll give you examples of each scenario.

Yclept. Go on, use it in a sentence. I dare ya. You'll find it in Chaucer, but it had gone extinct by Shakespeare's day. It means to call or to be called. "Oon was Cyrus yclept, and th'othir Galfridus." i.e., "One was called Cyrus, and the other Galfridus." Dead as a doornail, except when someone like me resurrects it for illustrative purposes.

Hippie. In the jazz/swing era, to be called a "hep cat" implied that you were stylish and cool and "with it," but around the time Elvis Presley began making the top of the charts, "hep" got "hip" and moved up a notch linguistically. Somewhat later, the "hippie" generation was born. Oh, and while we're at it, jazz can be "hot" and "cool" simultaneously. Go figure.

Barf. Prior to 1960, you might have upchucked, urped, heaved, etc., and even Shakespeare might have puked, but you never would have barfed if you had eaten a bad meal. "Barf" cropped up spontaneously, its lineage untraceable by serious etymologists who suggested that it was probably imitative of a sound as many other words are known to be, and before long, children everywhere were barfing like crazy. Ugly and crude, it spread quickly among those who were not vaccinated against linguistic disease.

This brings us to Icmadophila ericetorum. When I first heard the common name for this lichen ("fairy barf"), I rejected it completely. Very few lichens have "official" common names, but since I. ericetorum was recognized as a species well before 1960, I felt that the term must have been someone's bad joke. However, "fairy barf" has come to be accepted as the number-one choice when it is listed in lichen field guides. Although I still think the humour in calling it by the phrase is puerile, we're stuck with it. It's easier to say than "Icmadophila ericetorum," although that may be the only point in its favour.

Unbecoming Nomenclature

Day 41: I have to admit that the first time I heard Icmadophila ericetorum referred to as "Fairy Barf," I thought my leg was being pulled, or rather I should say that I thought the person who said it was applying their own personal "pet name" to the species. Lichen common names are not standardized like those of most vascular plants, so it's a bit of a free-for-all out there. Surely no one would call a lichen "Fairy Barf!" Little did I know at the time of lichen taxonomists' predilection for determining acceptable nomenclature while (apparently) stinking drunk, or I would have understood. Needless to say, I have since encountered the term in numerous references. Although I don't like it (I dislike common names anyway), it does seem to be peculiarly descriptive of the species' pale pink apothecia. The light green crust beneath them is the lichen's thallus (body), and its hue fails to supply a better suggestion. In any event, although I can't speak to a timetable for when the fairies deposit it, you're likely to find it on decaying stumps of cedar.

Icmadophila Ericetorum, Faerie Barf

Day 61: For the most part, I tend to commit to memory the Latin nomenclature for vascular plants, fungi and lichens, but once I had seen the common name "fairy barf" applied to Icmadophila ericetorum, I could not dismiss it from my mind (and believe me, I tried). That said, I prefer an alternate spelling ("faerie") for this lichen and the weakly pink apothecia and pastel green thallus which characterize it. Since lichen common names are not standardized like the majority of those applied to vascular plants, I feel justified in taking a small liberty to afford a slight measure of dignity to the species. Bottom line? Icmadophila is one of my favourite lichens. It deserves better than it's been given.

The Hunt For Fairy Barf

Day 220: Up until a month and a half ago, I had only seen Icmadophila ericetorum referred to as "fairy barf" in one lichen reference. Since then, I've encountered the name at least half a dozen times in unrelated field guides and on authoritative websites. Common names for lichens are not standardized, but it would appear that this one is achieving popularity rather quickly. Since pre-teen children seem to delight in innocent grossness, I decided to base today's kid-level Bio-Blitz lichen program on a hunt for fairy barf.

Six groups of seven or eight fourth and fifth grade students passed through my station on the Trail of the Shadows, usually starting at my favourite rock (the one which holds both species of Pilophorus), proceeding counter-clockwise to end at the junction with the Rampart Ridge trail. There was plenty of fairy barf along the way, and most of the kids took the opportunity to make a botanical drawing of the species. However, much to my surprise, almost every one of them sought out examples of the other species in their guides as well as those for which I provided botanical specimens. Even more surprising was the fact that in almost every group, at least one youngster asked me if Alectoria was "Old-Man's Beard," a very similar species. When I explained how to tell the difference, one young man searched and searched until at last he found a specimen of Usnea, and brought it to me to demonstrate the "elastic band" in the core. It was enormously rewarding to see young people taking a genuine interest in any science, but their enthusiasm for lichenology astonished me. I can only hope my adult audience tomorrow is as receptive! In the final tally, I have to say that Day One of Bio-Blitz was a rousing success.