Cladonia Macilenta

Day 133: Cladonia macilenta is one of the few Cladonias I can identify with any degree of certainty without playing with dangerous chemicals in my kitchen. It is one of a very few "red-headed" species, and is often mis-identified as Cladonia cristatella by people who have come here from the eastern part of the country. These are not "British Soldiers" (cristatella), although I have heard the common name "Toy Soldiers" applied to them, creating further confusion with the similarity. Cladonia macilenta is fairly common in the Pacific Northwest and can be identified by the relatively smooth surface of its podetia (stalks). Our other common "red-head" is Cladonia bellidiflora, which exhibits small leafy scales on its stalks, generally in copious abundance. This particular specimen is out of its natural plumb, obviously having been laid on a horizontal surface (not by me) so it could be photographed. I took advantage of the situation for a photo of my own while thinking that the person who had laid it there would probably mis-identify the species when they tried to sort it out.