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.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Chrysothrix Candelaris, Gold Dust Lichen
Day 101: If you've done any hiking in the Pacific Northwest, you've undoubtedly encountered evergreen trees (notably Douglas Fir) with a strange greenish-gold coating on the bark. If you looked more closely, you probably thought there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it, or if you touched it, you would have found it powdery on the surface, but impossible to wipe off entirely. There your curiosity was likely to have ended, and if you remarked on it at all, you simply said to yourself, "Weird yellow-green dust on a tree, okay" before moving on to showy wildflowers and butterflies in the meadows.
Would it surprise you to know that this is a lichen? Its common name is particularly descriptive: Gold Dust. Note the fir needle just right of center for a size reference. That will give you an idea how fine the texture is. Scientifically, it is known as Chrysothrix candelaris, a reference to its resemblance to another lichen family, the Candelarias.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment