Baeomyces Rufus, Brown Berets

Day 98: It's always a thrill for me to find and identify a new lichen for my Life List ("and identify" is the qualifier), but I am a little ashamed to admit that this this dense colony of Baeomyces rufus (Brown Beret Lichen) was growing on a group of Cladonia-bearing rocks which I have studied minutely on several occasions. How did I overlook it? It may have been that the apothecia were just developing and I may have dismissed it for Icmadophila ericetorum, guilty of the sin of not looking closely enough to see the white podetia beneath the pinkish-tan berets. Icmadophila ericetorum is stalkless, but also grows from a pale green thallus (one of the most peculiar colours I've witnessed in nature). Baeomyces' thallus is slightly more yellowish, and at least with these specimens, less uniform. Under a magnifier, the thallus is revealed to be finely squamulose (scaly) or warty, but it's those little white stalks which set this species apart from Icmadophila and give away its true identity. Suffice to say that finding it in profusion at this location was quite a surprise! That'll teach me to pay attention to the whole picture, and not just the first thing which catches my eye.

Spotlight On Cladonia Bellidiflora

Day 46: C. bellidiflora is a fairly common Cladonia here in the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps its success is due to the abundant squamules which typically cover its podetia. Okay, I threw a couple of unfamiliar words out there and to save my readers from having to scramble to their dictionaries, I'll explain. A lichen's stems are called "podetia" (singular "podetium") and the squamules are the little leaf-like structures growing along them. These "leaves" allow the lichen to trap nutrient-laden moisture and conserve it in the dry season. "Apothecia" are the fruiting bodies of the lichen (in this species, bright red knobs). Cladonia bellidiflora is particularly showy, although generally, most people walk right by colonies unless the apothecia are readily evident and happen to catch a hiker's eye. It is one of several "lipstick" lichens you'll find in our forests, and in my experience, seems to have a preference for decaying cedar stumps and logs.

Strange Planet

Day 120: You have only to walk through the forest to experience parallel universes and alien civilizations. Bizarrely shaped creatures occupy every rotting stump and march across the duff in vast armies. If you think giraffes and octopi are odd, bend down and make the acquaintance of a family of bryophytes or better yet, a colony of Cladonia lichens like those shown here. Like the other creatures which populate the Earth, these fascinating plants have evolved their peculiar structures to adapt to their environments in a manner which allows them to take advantage of moisture and nutrients. Notice how the sporophyte (seed head) holds a water drop. Observe the scales of the lichen and consider how they can pull moisture from the atmosphere by presenting more surface area in a small space. Truly, there are wonders at our feet!