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.

Cladonia Macilenta, Lipstick Powderhorn

Day 154: It's not often that you find a Cladonia you can identify in the field based on macroscopic characteristics and range alone, but given squamule size and shape, habitat (exposed to sunlight for the better part of the day), substrate and a few other details, I am going to venture out near the end of the limb to suggest an identification of Cladonia macilenta, commonly called "Lipstick Powderhorn." There are several other species in western Washington which also have red apothecia, but most have some other morphological feature which takes them out of the running. Several Douglas-firs along the exposed southern shoreline of Lake Scanewa bore a thick growth of tall, red-headed "push-pins," rather too dry and brittle for this early in the season. Lest you think that they might have only been recently exposed to the sun by storm removal of branches, I can assure you that these particular trees have stood in the open for twenty years or more, based on personal observation. I have many fond memories of Lake Scanewa, having sat with my fishing buddy along the shore with our lines in the water, waiting for one reluctant fish to take our bait. It was never a very productive spot, but the companionship was good, and the lack of other fishermen left Nature to speak undisturbed to us in the words of breeze and lapping water. She is never silent, Nature, and even as I muttered to myself as I examined lobes and podetia in minute detail, she was in my ear, reminding me softly of a friend now committed to memory. Good days, those.

Bud Blancher Cladonias

Day 93: Whenever I walk a new trail, I am always alert for wildflowers, birds, fungi and lichens. Occasionally, I am rewarded with something I've not seen before, but for the most part, my only discoveries will be common species. While walking the Bud Blancher trail yesterday, I was delighted to find one short section (about a tenth of a mile) where Cladonia macilenta was in abundant evidence. That said, I had to wonder if the density will be reduced now that the trail is open to the light. I will be monitoring the progress of these colonies and taking photographs at various times to document their development.