365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Cladina Rangiferina
Day 161: When is a moss not a moss? Why, when it's a lichen, or course! You will often hear members of the Cladina family of lichens referred to as "reindeer moss," but in fact they are not mosses at all despite their habit of growing on trees and rocks alongside true bryophytes. Fourteen species are known to grow in North America, and one of the most common in Mount Rainier National Park is Cladonia rangiferina (shown here). Note how the tips of this lichen appear "combed" to one side, one of the distinctions which allow it to be identified fairly reliably in the field.
Labels:
Cladina rangiferina,
lichen,
Longmire,
MORA,
Reindeer Lichen,
Reindeer Moss
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