Usnea Longissima, Nature's Garland

Day 51: I have quite a few "favourite" lichens. I mean, it's hard to choose a single one from over 1000 species (not counting subspecies) present right here in the Pacific Northwest, but Usnea longissima pretty much tops the list. It is Nature's version of a Christmas garland, its long strands unbranched and sometimes growing (in my personal observation) up to fifteen feet long. At Rainey Creek, it festoons many of the trees close by the water, dwindling in occurrence the farther one goes from the creek banks, as it is quite sensitive to air pollution and prefers the circulation afforded by proximity to moving water. Like other Usneas, it can be used to dye wool and cotton, and the current popularity of home dyeing with natural materials is leading to a decline in Usneas in some areas. Even as abundant as it is at Rainey Creek, I will not collect it. I prefer to observe, admire and enjoy Lichen Christmas all year 'round.

Rainey Creek Heads

Day 50: It's been several years since I spotted the first head (top right) lodged in the crotch of a tree alongside the trail to Rainey Creek. With a playground nearby, I figured some critter or mischievous kid had stuck it there and didn't think anything more about it. Late last year or early this spring, I found the fuzzy guy (bottom right) wedged in his knot like Winnie the Pooh in Rabbit's doorway. I did not connect the two until yesterday when I found evidence of two more relatively fresh beheadings, one nailed six feet up a tree facing the trailhead, the other jammed onto the spike of a deteriorating post. Suddenly it occurred to me that there was a theme going on, and that no reasonable explanation was going to cover the purposeful placement of these items. The trail is most often frequented by hunters during bird season and occasional dog-walkers, and the trailhead is a popular drop-off point for the locals who feel they can't afford a trip to the dump, but the latter fails to explain the heads in any logical way, and the fact that they have been appearing over a period of years suggests that this is not the work of a child who surely by now would have outgrown the need to torment a younger sibling by sadistically mutilating their toys. The heads of Rainey Creek must remain a mystery, and one I hope never to resolve during my walks on the rambling paths.

Incongruous Bridge

Day 49: First of all, my readers must understand that winter is not the easiest time of the year in which to find material for natural-history posts, but cold and wet notwithstanding, I went out today intending to make a quick one-mile trip to Rainey Creek and back, retracing my footsteps. As plans often do, this one went awry when I began following a side trail I'd never walked before, one which eventually looped around and reconnected to the main path. In so doing, I covered roughly two miles, my hands painfully cold despite being mittened and in my pockets for the most part. Over the next couple of days, I will bring you the results despite the fact that you probably can't fully appreciate the sacrifices I make on your behalf. That said, one upcoming post must be prefaced with a warning: I found something rather bizarre and creepy, and I don't want to hear any lectures on the danger of hiking alone. If you are easily freaked out, avoid these pages tomorrow.

Now, to the point: Rainey Creek is a pleasant little natural area at the east end of Riffe Lake and is administered by Cowlitz Wildlife. As such, it is the site of game-bird releases and should be avoided during hunting season. It should also be avoided in spring and early summer when the mosquitoes are thick in the air and very, very hungry. It is at its best when the grass is sere and gone to rosy-tan, for then you can see the abundant lichens (mostly Usnea species) on the trees. The air is particularly clear here, and consequently, Usnea longissima grows in profusion on the trees closest to the water. A future post will feature the loveliest of lichens, at least for my tastes. That said, anyone walking the main trail to Rainey Creek will be following an old road which is still used sometimes by Cowlitz Wildlife vehicles. Perhaps that explains the sturdy and incongruous blue bridge which comes as a bit of a surprise to hikers more accustomed to cedar-puncheon structures or logs. Metal or not, lichens are colonizing its surface, Parmelias and Hypogymnias having taken hold in the thin dust adhering to the steel, and giving evidence that Nature is stronger than Man.

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.

Seeking New Populations

Day 84: I am a regular contributor to the Burke Museum's Herbarium Image Collection. I've lost track of how many photos I've had put up, but they include vascular plants, lichens and the occasional fungus. A few days ago, I sent in two images, and when the curator notified me that they'd been posted on the spanking-new webpage, I wanted to check to be sure they were listed correctly. When the webpage loaded, the banner was displaying one of my photos of Usnea longissima, taken at Rainey Creek in Lewis County. The banner rotates through a series of images; I was very proud to see one of mine included. It inspired me to take a walk to Rainey Creek today, but I was not prepared to see that the Usnea-bearing tree had been undermined by the creek and its remains, bare of anything resembling green matter, were under mud and water. The discovery left me feeling very sad. It was one of the most lush Usnea longissima colonies I've seen. The lichen only grows where the air is purest, and fifty feet back from the creek, no more can be found.

I have not explored all of the Rainey Creek area by any means. For one thing, it's choked with reed-canary grass and strikes me as a prime location for collecting ticks. I don't venture off the path when the grass is high. Today, though, it was fairly well beaten down and the muddy paths usually concealed beneath it were open and visible. I decided to go on an Usnea hunt. My efforts were rewarded with the discovery of several other nice Usnea-bearing trees, and another pair of gems which will appear in this blog over the next two days, one of which has already been forwarded to the Burke. Government shutdown or not, I'm still hunting plants, albeit for different agencies.

Footnote: As of this date, I have 94 images in the Burke database (4 more are pending). The new site lets you browse by photographer.

Usnea Longissima, Mother Nature's Garland

Day 15: For me, the main attraction at Rainey Creek is a tree festooned with Usnea longissima, the lichen I call "Mother Nature's Garland." Its semi-official common name is "Methuselah's Beard," presumably derived from the great lengths it sometimes attains. Unlike other Usneas, it does not form branches off the central cord; it may grow up to 10 feet according to Brodo, but after tracing one strand back a full six, I'm inclined to think that may be a low estimate.

Longissima only thrives where the air is free of pollutants, a factor which may also account for the healthier-than-average population of mosquitoes along Rainey Creek. From the bridge where the Usnea Tree stands, the view shows other trees equally wreathed, but only immediately alongside the stream channel. I have found other wisps of this graceful lichen further from the creek, struggling for survival where they may have been dropped by a bird carrying potential nesting material. This Usnea occurs in other local areas, but to date, I have found none as lush as those along Rainey Creek...as good a reason as any to pay it a visit when the skeeters aren't flying!

Bridge Over Rainey Creek

Day 14: Rainey Creek is not a place you want to visit during mosquito season, but during early spring or mid-autumn, the walk to the bridge can be a delightful diversion. However, if you go during hunting season, you should be advised to wear orange. The brush is thick in places, and you wouldn't want your movement to be mistaken for that of an elk or pheasant. The first half-mile follows an old road, but once you've crossed the bridge, muddy trails take you in various directions. Today, I explored a branch I'd never followed and as enticing as it was to think about continuing on when the path began to climb after a short ways, I had other things on my agenda and decided to leave it for another visit when I can make botany a priority. That said, I was pleased to find the Usnea Tree doing well...but that's for tomorrow's post.

The Spirit Of Adventure

Day 43: The spirit of adventure courses strongly through my veins, never mind that I don't go as far or fast as I once did. Mountains don't have to be 14,000' tall to have an "other side," and bridges still lead to undiscovered worlds where exploration may bring a "life list" lichen to light. I cannot resist the pull of a trail fading into the distance; I must pursue it until I can go no farther, whether turned back by the lateness of the day or by the counsel of my joints. A stump on the horizon becomes a goal, and once attained, another takes its place in a succession of small victories. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, I go no farther than "halfway," the point of stamina which dictates return indisputably, but I am not content until "halfway" has been reached. It is just that which compels me: the bonus of discovery. When the progress of my travel tells me it's time to go home, I always wonder what I might have found if I'd just taken one more step.

Usnea Faerie

Day 42: Look closely, and you may see a Lichen Sprite among the strands of Usnea longissima beside Rainey Creek, an avatar of Nature husbanding her charges with love and kindness. Like the Usneas she shepherds, this faerie is sensitive to air-borne pollutants, and thus as a species, is becoming rarer and rarer in the modern world. Rainey Creek offers the perfect habitat for Usneas and their faerie guardians, but it's best to visit in the autumn or winter. The sprites and visitors alike vie with highly competitive mosquitoes during the spring and summer months.

Comparative Lichenology

Day 41: East meets West for today's essay! A friend recently sent me two lichen specimens from Maine in the hopes that I could identify them for her. One of them was a member of the generic category of "Old Man's Beard lichens," specifically Usnea filipendula (Fishbone Beard, top photos). It put me in mind of my favourite among the Usneas, Methuselah's Beard (U. longissima, lower photos), so I thought it would be fun to present them paired, and thus took a short hike to a location where longissima is abundant.

As you can see, Fishbone is much more compact and delicate. Longissima grows in graceful strands up to ten feet in length. Filipendula branches abundantly, and Methuselah's Beard consists of threads on a central stem, much like a Christmas garland. A microscopic view reveals that isidia (grain-like reproductive units which detach easily from the thallus) are present on both specimens, but are more numerous in the case of filipendula. Both species are excellent air-quality indicators. Sensitive to even small amounts of pollution, Usneas only grow where the air is pure.

Taxonomic Nomenclature

Day 44: Taxonomic nomenclature is not a static science. As research progresses (particularly in genetics), species need to be reclassified, not only within a genus, but sometimes into a different genus entirely. Sphaerophorus venerabilis got off easy. It was formerly known as Sphaerophorus globosus, which in fact is more descriptive of its knobby apothecia than its present name. It is a beautiful and graceful thing, and invariably when I find it, I think, "Wow! What's that?" only to discover upon arriving home that I've bookmarked the page in Brodo and left a note to myself regarding the change in its taxonomy. Today, it surprised me once again. I literally stumbled across a downed branch heavily populated with Lettuce Lung (Lobaria oregana), and while I was admiring it, I noticed the Sphaerophorus. "Wow! What's that?" I said to myself, not realizing I was revisiting the phrase, and then took a dozen or so photos from different angles. I also noted at least two species of Liverwort on the same branch. Don't get your hopes up. There is no comprehensive field guide to the liverworts of the Pacific Northwest.

On The Subject Of Beards

Day 12: Usneas came up in conversation this morning...yes, I do have friends who talk lichens with me...so I decided to go for a drive and short walk to visit my favourite species, Usnea longissima. Besides being one of the most graceful and beautiful of our local lichens, U. longissima is highly sensitive to pollutants. You can be assured that you're breathing the best air when you find yourself amid trees adorned with its streamers.

This Usnea is largely a lowland species, but that said, it is considered threatened world-wide, and has in fact been extirpated in much of its normal range, over-harvested by collectors selling "moss" to the floral industry. The strands can be up to ten feet long, and the sight of them swaying in the breeze will quickly clue you into how this lichen is transported. They blow on the wind like feathers, the tendrils catching on any available twig, gathering into gauzy curtains of pale green lace. At this site, they seem to have a preference for cottonwood, and occur only on those trees closest to a small stream. I've monitored this location for several years, and am happy to say they seem to be thriving.

Usnea Longissima, Methuselah's Beard Lichen

Day 171: We now resume our regularly scheduled programming, and by that I mean "no more April Fools' jokes."

Frequently and easily mistaken for a moss, Usnea longissima is one of the most elegant members of the lichen family. Also known as Methuselah's Beard, this Usnea grows in strands which may reach lengths of nine feet, and drapes over branches like a tinsel Christmas swag. Like the lung lichens, Usnea longissima is a good indicator of air quality since it is highly sensitive to pollutants. Seen here growing on Red Alder along the Rainey Creek trail, Methuselah's Beard is abundant at the east end of Riffe Lake.

Golden-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia Atricapilla

Day 210: Walking out to Rainey Creek, I nearly always spot some bird I haven't yet photographed successfully, and I wind up standing there trying to catch the elusive little buggers between branches in the hopes of identifying them when I get home. I've seen dozens of Chickadees here, scores of Warblers, and I've spent substantial amounts of time offering myself up as mosquito bait only to come away with nothing to show for my pains. It doesn't stop me from returning, not hardly! The walk to Rainey Creek is delightful if you go in the right season, but avoid June at all costs!

Today, a fluttering in the branches again caught my eye, and it turned out to be the activity of half a dozen Golden-Crowned Sparrows, a bird whose most distinguishing field characteristic eliminates the need to observe any other. The bright yellow crown which gives this species its common name sets it apart from any other bird in the region. However, young Golden-Crowned Sparrows can be mistaken for White-Crowned until the yellow feathers emerge.

While this image is not a classic field-guide pose showing the full body morphology, there is no mistaking Mr. Golden-Crowned's golden crown! Now, if I could just get those darn Warblers to hold still long enough to zoom in!