Call 'Em "Fuzznias"

Day 141: Lichens in the genus Usnea are quite common in western Washington. Some, like Usnea longissima with its single graceful "Christmas garland" morphology, are easy to identify. Others fall into the category I like to call "fuzznias," so similar in outward appearance that it takes microscopic analysis to determine their species. They are often mistaken for mosses, so thickly do they grow on branches, and it is often and incorrectly assumed that they are killing trees. In fact, lichens such as the Usneas take hold on trees which are already stressed and dying, taking advantage of the weakened structure of the bark and wood. While different species of Usnea prefer different types of tree, multiple species of the genus often grow cheek-by-jowl. There may well be three or four species in this image.

Happy Campers

Day 21: Although most of us don't enjoy being out in the cold and wet, the lichen population heartily approves our sudden switch from summer to winter. They perked up in a matter of days, going from crisp and fragile to soft and pliable in an astonishingly short period of time. Lichens are amazingly resilient, sometimes springing back to life from a state where they are dry enough to crumble into powder between your fingers. Many species have begun to fruit, their apothecia readily apparent. Here are examples from four of the genera common to my yard: Platismatia (aka Ragbag), a Cladonia species, Usnea and one of several Hypogymnias which grow in abundance on the cedar fence. Happy campers, these! They won't grumble about chilly nights and soggy moss-beds. They'll revel in them!

Shared Space - Usnea And Ramalina

Day 121: It is not uncommon to find lichen species crowding together, intertwined so thoroughly that one might think that the different shapes are simply different manifestations of the same lichen, especially when they are similarly coloured like this combination of Ramalina and Usnea. These two species share a common photobiont, the algae which performs the task of photosynthesis. However, the fungal component of these two lichens is different, as microscopic examination of their spores would likely reveal. The fungus is largely responsible for determining the general morphology of a lichen, i.e., whether it is foliose (leafy), fruticose (having a more three-dimensional structure) or crustose (crust-like). A third component in lichens is yeast, of which there are also numerous strains. Yeasts provide protection against microbes. There's a lot going on in this shared space!

Footnote: By request, a specimen from yesterday's Arum dig will be placed in the WTU Herbarium as soon as it is dry.

Stick Art

Day 165: First and foremost, Mother Nature is a scientist. Of that, there can be no doubt, but it is not always about improving design to make it more efficient or durable. Sometimes her creative side surfaces and then, if we are privileged, we may witness an exhibition of her art.

I had several goals in mind when I left home yesterday for a hike. Very few of them bore any fruit. I did manage to cover five or six miles without seeing or hearing another human being, although the buzz of a chainsaw was audible from the top of the hill. It temporarily drowned out the chorus of Pacific Tree Frogs who were singing their spring anthem in the wetland below, though not the voices of Canada Geese flying overhead. Once back in the forest, the chips and cheeps of woodland birds were the only sounds, and I was left to enjoy visual immersion in uncountable shades of green. Here and there, the Cardamine inserted a pale pink accent, its flowers nodding, unwilling to fully wake into the light, damp chill of the morning, and a few Trillium who had had too much rain at last night's party tried to shake off the aftereffects with limited success. There were no spring mushrooms, not yet, and the nettles were too far advanced to pick for tea. They were quite defensive, and expressed their sentiments toward being gathered by biting me through nitrile gloves. With "gathering" removed from my list on those two counts, "exercise" was the next best option. I decided to cover as much ground as the weather and mud would permit, with "photography" a given as it is any time I am out and about.

The wildlife area near Mossyrock Dam affords a variety of ecological niches. Managed by Cowlitz Wildlife under the auspices of WDFW, it offers woods, ponds, grasslands and thickets spaced throughout roughly 14,000 acres. There are only a few maintained trails and no "destinations," rendering it less popular with hikers than other areas. I have observed a number of interesting plants and fungi there, and a wealth of lichens, many of which I have yet to identify. I was walking the ADA trail when I found this stick, barely recognizable as such beneath its lavish embellishments of lichen and moss, Art in its purest form. The scientific half of my brain registered Ochrolechia (little round dots), Usnea (wiry threads), Platismatia (ruffled lobes) and a moss even as the artistic side exclaimed, "That's beautiful!" Ma Nature had succeeded in engaging my full appreciation, a feat no human artist has ever managed. All other considerations aside, the Stick was the highlight of my hike, and I don't say that lightly.

Lichenized!

Day 143: Contrary to popular belief, most lichens do not damage the trees on which they live. The fact is, trees under stress from disease or climatological influences are more likely to provide physical niches in which lichens may grow. Organic material and dust particles collect in the cracks of damaged bark, and over time, become the medium in which lichens may take hold. The association between dying trees and the presence of lichens is clear, but the relationship is often misinterpreted. The lichens are misconstrued as the cause of the tree's declining health instead of being a symptom of it. Why, then, do some types of lichen grow on one type of tree and not on another? Lichens' preferences for certain types of tree are due to a number of different factors: acidity, persistence of light/shade, bark porosity, etc. When the species' requirements are met in the proper combination, lichenization will occur.

Conservation Of Resource

Day 37: Lichens such as the Usneas (collectively called "Old-Man's Beard" in common parlance) excel at conserving available moisture. The fibrils which comprise the thallus of these lichens maximize surface area, and their tangled web allows them to hold water drops for a longer period of time than smooth-surfaced leaves can achieve. Although they may appear to dry out during periods of low rainfall, morning dew and atmospheric moisture are sufficient to sustain them. When damp weather returns, they rehydrate quickly. Even in desert climates, certain lichens can thrive, but of course in the Pacific Northwest, you're at risk of being colonized if you hold still longer than five minutes.

Diversity And Cooperation

Day 361: Diversity and cooperation make the world both beautiful and complex. One has only to look at a 6" x 6" piece of tree bark in one of the Pacific Northwest's damp forests to see both principles in operation. Species co-exist in a variety of cooperative relationships, and none represents partnership any more strongly than the family of lichens. Pairing in numerous combinations of algae, fungus and yeast, lichens exhibit a wealth of forms and survival strategies. Maybe humans should take a lesson from Nature. Just sayin'.

Admirable Lichens

Day 49: As I despair of futures (those of my country, the globe and my own), I find some small comfort in setting a course by the compass of John Muir's words: "I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." On the trail, my mind shuts off all conscious thoughts of anything but what is before my eyes and I exist only as a part of the nature surrounding me. I am "home" in a sense that no four walls can convey, however cozy. The atmosphere of soft colours and filtered light dispels the garish glare of frets and worries, the whisper of wind navigating through bare autumn branches drowns out the ugly voices of news and politics. My passage through the environment disturbs nothing more than is absolutely necessary. Time passes, but the metronome beat of the clock is meaningless. Here in truth, I am cousin to the lichens, sister to the stone, grounded and apart from the artificial reality with which we have surrounded ourselves. I find peace in the forest, among my kin.

But I cannot walk in the woods forever, as much as I would like to do. At some point, I must return to the grievously misnamed arena we call "civilization," and face again the horrors of bigotry, hate, environmental insensitivity and greed as fostered by that grand bastard, Donald Trump and his minions. Despair again takes my hand and says, "Come walk with me."

Identifying Usnea

Day 38: One of my favourite tools for introducing beginners to lichen identification is provided by the family of Usneas: a stretchy "rubber band" or "spinal cord" which reveals itself when a section of the lichen is stretched gently to open the cortex. Even the tiniest branches possess this elastic core (note upper arrow in the microscope view), but of course they're thicker in the main branches.

A couple of years ago, I had occasion to take a troop of Scouts on a lichen walk in Longmire Campground where Alectoria (a different family) is present in abundance. I explained how to differentiate it from the Usneas and unbeknownst to me at the time, one of the boys took it as a challenge. As we progressed around the campground, he kept picking up bits and stretching them. After what must have been a few hundred tests, he came rushing up to me in excitement. "Crow! Crow! I found an Usnea!" Sure enough, as he carefully stretched the section, the "spinal cord" was revealed. His diligent pursuit of the elusive lichen had paid off, and I knew in that moment that I'd inspired the spirit of scientific curiosity in that young man. When I'm down and feel that nothing I do matters, I try to remember those occasions when my labours paid off. Damn, but I was proud of that kid!

Fence Gardening

Day 21: I take as much pleasure in what grows in my garden naturally as I do in the species I carefully cultivate. My rail fence is a wonderland of lichen forms, from squamous and cupped Cladonias to thready Usneas and puffy Hypogymias. They are colourful as well as diverse in shape and size, ranging from lime green through grey-green or sometimes tinted with a blush of orange or pink. The fruiting bodies (apothecia) of the Cladonias dot the colonies with specks of brown and brilliant red, and one could imagine that the faerie folk were decorating for the holidays. A four inch by four inch section of rail may hold a forest of half a dozen species, each one as alien in appearance as the next. Take a closer look at lichens when you're on the trail. You may become as fascinated by them as I am.