Half Rack

Day 259: I'm sure there are a number of locals who'd like to know where this half-rack was found, but I hasten to remind people that removal of anything from the Park is strictly prohibited. I might be asked, "But why can't I take it home?" I don't expect my explanation to be accepted with good grace, but the fact of it is that this antler will become home and food to a number of different insects, insects which will in turn become nourishment for birds, frogs and other critters, and will contribute minerals to the soil ecology which supports plant growth. It might even be possible that some rare species depend on its biodegradation in order to proliferate. Certain lichens and fungi only grow on decaying antlers. Mycorrhizal affiliations are present in many of the Park's rarer plants. Is there a connection? We don't know. The bottom line is that we humans do not fully understand how things are connected in our environment, and already, our interference with natural processes has disrupted the mechanisms in uncounted ways both small and large. We have ripped and torn the flesh of our Mother Earth when we should have been walking quietly beside her, drawing our lessons from her to ensure our continued survival.

Rhizocarpon Geographicum, Map Lichen

Day 354: Hikers in the subalpine and alpine areas of Mount Rainier National Park may have passed by rocks populated by bright yellow-green patches of Rhizocarpon geographicum without ever giving them a second glance, or dismissing them from mind as "some kind of weird green stuff," perhaps not even knowing that they were observing a lichen, specifically a Map Lichen.

Rhizocarpon is a crustose lichen, which is to say it forms a crusty covering closely attached to the substrate material. This particular species is quite noticeable because of its striking hue, but other crustose lichens may be coloured to resemble the rocks on which they grow, i.e., grey with dot-like black or brown apothecia (fruiting bodies). Unlike the larger lichens, they are not a particularly valuable food source for animals, nor do they provide nesting material for birds, but they do make a vital contribution to the ecology in that they help break rock down into soil. It just goes to show that even that "weird green stuff" plays an important role in Nature!