Pin It!

Day 316: My botany partners joke that they can track where I've been by looking for "Crow Rocks," i.e., the various things I use as field tripods. Sometimes it's a rock, yes, but sticks and bits of shed bark are also frequently brought into service for the same purpose. As it happened, I was down on my knees at the camera with a chunk of long-dead, dry wood propping up the lens, and my attention was fully on the unique plant I was photographing. Then, as I started to raise up, the light hit the surface of the wood at a different angle, and there they were, hundreds of little black pins no more than one scant millimeter in height. Joe and Sharon were already back at the car, so I carried my treasure out to them and as I walked up, I said, "Here's something I bet you've never seen before!" A photo session ensued, drivers of passing cars no doubt wondering what was so fascinating about a chunk of old wood.

These are a species of "stickpin" or "pin lichen." Without laboratory facilities, I can't positively determine which one, but Mycocalicium subtile is my best guess, based on characteristics I could observe with a hand lens and habitat/substrate. This is only the second pin lichen I have ever found. As you might guess, they are extremely difficult to spot due to their size. Closer observation would reveal that the capitula (pinheads) are goblet-shaped or, as Sharon observed, "Like little tiny Myrios," referring to our historic fungal find from several years ago. You never know what you're going to find in the woods if you just keep your eyes open.