Sectioning For Spores

Day 52: I am extremely grateful to Dr. Irwin Brodo (author of the forty-pound field guide, "Lichens of North America," and Ernie to his friends) for his patience in instructing me how to section lichen apothecia in order to reveal the spores. I can now do a much better imitation of a microtome than previously. We have not positively identified this specimen as of this writing, but evidence suggests that it is Alectoria sarmentosa, a common species often found growing on Douglas Fir. The sample on the left was scraped from the apothecial disk of a dry specimen; the one on the right is fresh material. My new microscope is proving to be a valuable tool in furthering my knowledge of lichens.