Bud Blancher's Cladonia Forest

Day 109: It was a year ago, during one of my first walks on the Bud Blancher Trail that I discovered several lush colonies of Cladonia bellidiflora growing on decaying logs and at the bases of three or four trees newly exposed to light from the north. At the time, I said to myself that this was a good opportunity for a field experiment, and made a mental note to monitor the lichens to see how they would react in the absence of shade. No significant changes were registered in 2015 despite a droughty summer, nothing beyond the normal reaction to dry weather. It remained to be seen if they would spring back when the rains arrived, so when I walked the trail a few days ago, I paid them a visit. I am happy to report that the colonies (all of them) are thriving.

Cladonia bellidiflora is quite common in the Pacific Northwest. It nearly always exhibits bright red apothecia (fruiting bodies), but the density of squamules (scales) on the podetia (stalks) may vary widely. Bud Blancher's specimens are not particularly squamulose.