Nephroma Helveticum, Fringed Kidney Lichen

Day 94: It's been nine years since I first found Kidneys (Nephroma helveticum), and that was following a windstorm which dislodged them from somewhere in the forest canopy. They are not specifically noted for being a canopy lichen, although I have never known them to be anything but. I have found them in several locations, and always following gusty weather. Consequently, when I went for a short walk on Sunday in a spot where I had seen them previously, I was watching for them. I did not find any on the one-mile loop, but I did find the Life List lichen I mentioned in my previous post. That discovery took me home and back again with a fresh battery in the camera, and after I was done photographing the Hypogymnia, I turned around to leave and...well, whadda ya know! There were the Kidneys, just a few steps behind me. I had been so focused on the Hypogymnia that I'd failed to look around me. The ones in this location are smaller than those I found initially in 2016 and may in fact be a subspecies, but I do not know how to differentiate them.

Kidney Corner

Day 103: When lichen aficionados talk about getting new kidneys, they probably aren't referring to a medical procedure. I got new Kidneys (Nephroma helveticum) during a short hike yesterday, and really hit the jackpot. The first ones to catch my eye were embedded in the mud of the trail, so obviously out of their proper arboreal habitat that I decided to do a wider survey. Within a foot or so, I found a pencil-sized twig bearing a substantial grouping, and even as I was photographing those, I noticed a second twig covered with a dense colony. As I knelt on the ground, I spotted several more, all on small debris which had been brought down from the canopy into the small opening provided by the trail. Way above my head somewhere, there was a kidney goldmine forever beyond my reach, but Nature had donated so many that I immediately dubbed the spot "Kidney Corner" and put it on my mental map. Need a Kidney? I know where to go.

Nephroma Helveticum, Fringed Kidney Lichen

Day 48: Yesterday was the first dry day we've had in a month, so I went out for a short local walk, noting in my pedestrian travels that quite a lot of debris and even some fairly good-sized trees had come down during our parade of blustery weather events. I wasn't thinking about canopy lichens when I stepped over a stick, but my mind registered an observation which filtered to the surface of my consciousness a hundred feet distant: "That looked like Kidneys." I decided not to backtrack, lured forward by the prospect of finding interesting fungi further on. Then, after having completed my circuit of the loop, I thought I might go back to photograph a bracket fungus I'd noted, and by that point, I'd forgotten all about the Kidney stick. I was on my way back to the trailhead when again as I stepped over the stick, my brain insisted that I take a closer look: "Those ARE Kidneys, and you've never seen them here before." Sure enough, the short, broken twig was covered with Nephroma helveticum, its rich mahogany-coloured apothecia rimmed with the creamy "fringe" which supplies its common name, Fringed Kidney Lichen. The light was very dim where the stick had fallen, so I carried it to a bed of step-moss where a log served as my tripod for a long exposure.

Dislodged Kidneys

Day 142: When the Park reopened after the storm damage was repaired and I could get back into Longmire, one of the things on my agenda was to check the campground for dislodged Kidneys. I have found Nephroma helveticum there in two locations. In both cases, it had dropped from the canopy far above my head and was attached to either a branch or twig from some tree I couldn't pinpoint. My most recent find (above) was about 100' from one of the customary drop-zones, but given the size of the twig (no more than four inches long) and its lightness, I concluded that it had probably been blown there on a gust of wind. Five species of Nephroma are known to occur in the Park. As shown here in a Penny Perspective, Fringed Kidneys (Nephroma helveticum) are easy to identify by the creamy white "ruffle" which borders the brown disks like a crocheted edging. The lower surface is smooth.

Kidneys!

Day 153: Although everyone was remarking on "Pi Day" yesterday (3.14), Kevin informed me on our way to work that it was also World Kidney Day. Therefore, it was probably no surprise to him when, after finishing up with new volunteer applicants for the day, I announced that I was going on a kidney hunt in the campground. An upper-canopy lichen (in Longmire, anyway), I've found kidneys in only two locations when they were brought down by winter storms. The first (beside the access road) was easy to attain, but I failed to find the prize. The second site proved to be more challenging. With little hope of success (but determined to try), I set off toward the center of the campground, breaking through the crust of three to four feet of snow with every step. At first, I only went in to ankle-depth, but beyond the picnic shelter, the snow was softer and more often than not, I sank above my knees. I thought of my climbing years and the phrase which motivated me to many different summers, "just keep putting one foot in front of the other; another adjuration, "you're not going to get there by looking at it," every time my eyes went to the plowed portion of the road. It took me the better part of an hour to traverse the length of a football field, but no kidneys made themselves known. Back at the Community Building at long last, I set off toward my office disappointed with my efforts, but as I passed the spot where I'd found my first specimen of Nephroma helveticum, a small brown cluster caught my eye. Yep, kidneys, right where I'd first looked. Did I miss them on the first pass, or did they fall from the canopy in the intervening hour? I'll never know. But I do know this: postholing is one of the best ways to remind yourself that the only way to get through a bad patch is to just put your head down and keep plodding. Thanks, Kid...ney.

Baby Kidneys

Day 188: I don't know which was the bigger thrill yesterday, discovering that the Booger Tree had sprouted fresh boogers or finding teeny-tiny baby Kidneys nestled in the moss on a downed branch. This is another location I check when I walk to or from the Community Building. I now have a "landmark tree" which tells me exactly which pile of fallen twigs to investigate. I'm sure these must be offspring from the colony I found here several years ago. Since attending the lichen conference, I knew to look for "pimples" on the back side. There were none, which confirms my original identification of Nephroma helveticum.

And Kidneys To Top It Off

Day 152: I'm not sure where to start relating today's events, so I think I'll begin with the photo. Ever since finding Fringed Kidney lichen following a windstorm several years ago, I've haunted the same spot, hoping that another specimen would have dropped from the upper canopy. I've been disappointed until today when I found one very small grouping. The largest of the apothecia wouldn't cover my thumbnail and the foliose portions are rather browned from harsh weather, but this is Nephroma helveticum, and now I think I know which tree it occupies. No, I am not thinking about climbing it.

When I arrived home from work, I had a surprise in my mailbox. Joe and Sharon, my partners in Team Biota, are hoping to light a fire under me with respect to dragonfly identification. To that end, they sent me James Walker's "Common Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Pacific Coast - A Life Size Field Guide." I have collected a few images of these insects over the years, but have not been able to identify more than a few. This book will definitely improve my skills.

However, the biggest event of the day left me speechless and very near to tears. For some time, I have wished I could afford to attend the lichen portions of the Northwest Scientific Association's annual conference, but I simply couldn't budget it. Today as I sat at my office computer crunching volunteer applications and answering Park emails, I recognized Arnie's voice at the door. He came into the office and leaned against a cluttered bookcase. "I have a question for you," he said. Expecting it to be something botanical and wondering how he thought I'd be any help if he didn't know, I said, "Yeah? What?" Without preamble asked, "How interested are you in the Northwest Scientific Association's lichen conference?" I told him I'd love to go, but that it wasn't within my means. "What would you say if I said I'd send you to it?" he replied.

For a second, I was speechless. Then I said, "Surely there's somebody else who would benefit more from your budget than me!" He said, "You let me decide that." After some flabbergasted sputtering on my end, he continued, "Would you want to attend all four days or just pick a topic which interests you?" We dragged up the conference program and I determined that there was really only one day I thought would provide information I thought I could use in the Park. We discussed the options, but I was insistent. One day was sufficient. I completed the registration and he took care of the fine points (i.e., payment), and when he stood up from the desk, I couldn't help myself. I threw my arms around him in a bear hug, trying to keep the tears from running down my face. And then, after I finished my office work with as few corrections as I could manage through my excitement, I went out walking in the snow and found the Kidneys.

It's been a long time since I had a day like this one.

Looking At Lichens

Day 102: Our friend Mr. Thoreau would have been delighted with the literal windfall of lichen species I discovered in Longmire Campground a few days ago, among them this magnificent specimen of Fringed Kidney Lichen. Its apothecia (fruiting bodies), well-developed in this photo, give it its common name. Scientifically, it is Nephroma helveticum, a designation which sounds like it should apply to a font rather than the forest. As I've been making surveys of the areas hardest hit by our winter storms, checking the branches and boughs brought down by gusty winds, I've been rewarded with several additions to my Life List. This Nephroma qualifies as one of my better finds. I don't get much distance out of my "storm patrols," but like Mr. Thoreau, I do enjoy them!