Happy As A Wet Lichen

Day 24: You've heard the phrase, "mad as a wet hen." How about "happy as a wet lichen?" Lichens have a variety of strategies for gathering moisture, and can survive for protracted periods of dry weather by being able to maximize what little is available as dew and in the form of humidity. Many lichens have rough or scaly cortices which increase their surface area substantially. Others like Lettuce Lung (Lobaria pulmonaria) have dimpled foliage in which water pools and is subsequently absorbed into their tissues. Had you seen this specimen in late summer, you would have thought it was dead. The lobes were brown and so crisp that they could easily be crumbled between probing fingers. However, once the autumn rains began, this lichen quickly came back to life and greenness.

Lobaria Oregana

Day 89: Lobaria oregana is one of the most common lichens in conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest, as is its cousin Lobaria pulmonaria. It often achieves a mass of a ton or more per hectare, and can blanket tree trunks and branches to an astonishing and very decorative extent. Characteristically, it develops small lobules along the ridges of the primary lobes and may exhibit an abundance of tan apothecia. The reverse is greyish-tan blotched with white, particularly close to the margins. It constitutes a large part of the winter diet for deer and elk. It's also what you get today because I'm down with the Dread Mocus, the Grand Grunge, a lurgy, the "it" which is going around, resistant to the very best antivirus healthware your doctor can offer.

Lettuce Lung

Day 65: Excerpts from a letter to Arnie:

"That sound you hear is me beating my head on the wall.

"Bruce McCune's new books are making me painfully aware that there is absolutely NO hope of making a positive field identification of any but the most common lichens in the Park, and that probably 30-60% of our herbarium specimens are misidentified.

"In trying to ID a crustose species, I read what he had to say about Placopsis gelida, a species growing adjacent to the specimen in question. As far as I can tell, the only herbarium specimens of Placopsis taken from the Park have all been identified as gelida, but according to McCune, that's probably wrong. P. gelida is "a more northern species, rare s. of Canada." He further goes on to state that the only way to tell it apart from P. lambii is through TLC (thin-layer chromatography). (Right...now you know what I want for Christmas next year...)

"Other species require complex chemical tests to determine the presence of various lichen substances...I don't have the skills or the facility even if I did have the reagents, and I doubt the Park's little lab is adequate to the task either.

"It looks more and more like field work will just give you a 'best guess' and maybe get your specimen in the right genus (or maybe not). Otherwise, we're just bumbling along here and really can't tell what we have in the Park. Crow is feeling very frustrated right now, and about ready to go back to the 'Oh, look! Isn't that pretty!' level of research."

Lobaria Oregana, Lettuce Lung Lichen

Day 140: Several varieties of Lung Lichen grow in abundance in the lowlands of the rainy Pacific Northwest. Lobaria oregana is one of the most common; in fact, one source states that in an optimum habitat, it may attain a biomass equivalent to 1 ton per hectare. This species can be distinguished by its unique colour and a lavish fringe of lobules embellishing its margins. Like other Lobarias, Lettuce Lung is pollution-sensitive, and thrives in the clear air of old-growth forest. Generally found on coniferous trees, it may also colonize deciduous species.

Lettuce Lung, Lobaria Oregana

Day 114: Take a deep breath. Where you find any of the "lung" lichens, you can be assured that the air is free of most pollutants. Although most members of this family prefer shady old-growth forest, they can be found in younger stands as well where they are popular forage food for deer and elk. Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria found in the cephalodia (small gall-like growths) of Lobaria species play a significant role in contributing to the overall health of a forest. Aren't lichens grand?

Lettuce Lung, Lobaria Pulmonaria

Day 159: What urged me to walk back to the site of yesterday's froggy encounter was this specimen of Lettuce Lung (Lobaria pulmonaria) on which the seldom-seen brown apothecia (fruiting bodies) were clearly apparent. Although the lichen is abundant in this area, I observed apothecia only on this one example. Lettuce Lung prefers old-growth forest and is sensitive to atmospheric pollutants, so if you happen to find yourself where it grows, you may be assured that you're breathing clean air.