Enchanting Lichens

25 August 2012
4:57 PM

Sunrise at	6:11 AM	in direction	63°	East-northeast
Sunset at	9:32 PM	in direction	297°	West-northwest

Duration of day: 15 hours, 20 minutes (6 minutes, 47 seconds shorter than yesterday)

What I think is Parmelia and Beard Lichen

I spent a fair amount of time this evening identifying the lichen I found growing on dead branches from the oldest spruce tree we removed from the lot.  Although I wouldn't bet the bank on it, I think Parmelia is the leafy lichen, while Beard Lichen (Usnea) is the feathery lichen growing with it. Because the colors are similar and they seemed to grow together, I thought I was seeing two different stages of the same lichen.  But as I searched and compared, whenever I found the leafy lichen, there would be no feathery member.  Upon closer inspection, I could see that one Usnea was attached to the tree limb without surrounding Parmelia.

Old Man's Beard, as Beard Lichen is sometimes called, grows abundantly in south central, but is not as populous here in the Interior.  The climate is warming, here as it is everywhere, and plants that traditionally did not thrive due to our winter low temperatures are cropping up.  Maybe that is why I am seeing more of it, but I have not been here all that long to compare past and present.

I read an intelligent blog entry that made the distinction between Beard lichen and Spanish Moss (titled Old Man's Beard). The author noted that lichens are not one plant, but two - algae and fungus.  While the number of plants species is limited in Alaska when compared to warmer climates (including deserts), fungi, moss, and lichen are plentiful in the moist soils of the Interior.  One class at the university is devoted to identifying the edible fungi as opposed to the many inedible growing around us.  We had more growing in our back yard, but the dogs have changed the soil by running through areas of it, but there are plenty growing elsewhere on the lot.  Each year I see different mushroom looking fungi.

Lichen can be delicate looking even though they truly are hardy.  Lichen exhibit diverse characteristics and can display surprising, even ornate, color and formation.  Lichen is an important food source for residents of the arctic regions, where it grows thick as grass in places.  The following link, AK Lichen , downloads a PDF file with photos and brief descriptions of representative species of lichen and their uses.