We’ve had some warm weather here and that means that the snow is melting away from the stone walls. Since there are many miniature gardens growing on these old walls I thought I’d have a look.
Right off I was drawn to a boulder with patches of bright orange all over it. They turned out to be scattered rock posy lichens (Rhizoplaca subdiscrepans); more than I had ever seen in a single grouping. The white pine needles in this shot will give you an idea of just how small these lichens are.
Observing the small size of lichens is a good way to get used to seeing the small and beautiful things in nature. If you want to see the magic in nature sometimes you have to stretch some, and that includes your eyes, so each year at about this time I start looking closely at lichens to get my eyes and mind back into “small mode.” I practice on lichens in the early spring so I don’t miss the tiny flowers, insects, fungi, slime molds, and other fascinating things that will come later on.
The fruiting bodies (apothecia) of these scattered rock posy lichens surprised me by looking like a mass of orange sausages. Usually they are flat and disc shaped like the one in the upper left corner of this photo, and I’m assuming that this is what they look like before they take on the disc shape. Each disc shaped apothecia is about .04 inches (1mm) across.
If you’re interested in seeing small things in nature and have a ruler handy, you might want to look at it now so you can become familiar with just how small 1 millimeter really is. Finding things that size on a rock or tree can be a challenge, and that’s why I have to retrain my eyes to see them each spring. It isn’t just the eyes though; it’s also knowing where to look and knowing how to “think small,” but they come with experience.
Lichen identification can be tricky. I found what I believe is a rosy saucer lichen (Ochrolechia trochophora) growing on stone but the book Lichens of North America says that this lichen grows on tree bark. A little further research on the website Images of British Lichens shows that it grows on tree bark or stone. Based on that information and the fact that I can’t find a similar saucer lichen that grows in New England, I’m going with rosy saucer lichen. Even though it has rosy in its name its apothecia can range from pink to orange, according to what I’ve read.
I’m not sure how fast Cumberland rock shield lichens (Xanthoparmelia cumberlandia) grow but any lichen this big has to be very old. It must have been 10 inches across and there were several others that big nearby, so I think it’s safe to assume that these stones haven’t been disturbed in quite a long time. They were fruiting so they must be happy here.
Note: Canadian biologist Arold Lavoie has identified this lichen as a peppered rock shield (Xanthoparmelia conspersa). Arold pointed out that Cumberland rock shield doesn’t have any of the granular vegetative reproductive structures called isidium that can be seen on this lichen. Thanks very much for the help Arold.
This is a closer look at the fruiting bodies (apothecia) of the peppered rock shield lichen. They are fairly common and always seem to be folded or deformed looking. They are also always orangey-brown or dark brown in color.
I used to just pass by things that looked like white or gray crust on stones, but I stop and look a little closer now after finding things like this crater lichen (Diploschistes diacapsis). The lighter parts of this lichen make up its thick body (thallus) and the dark spots are its fruiting bodies (apothecia). Its common name comes from the way the apothecia sink into the thallus and look like tiny craters. Crater lichens prefer growing on calcareous stone and are a good indicator of limestone in the area. If you’re trying to find orchids or other plants that like lime laced soil, finding this lichen on the stones in the area you’re searching might lead you to them. I’ll be watching for it later on when I search for hepatica and spicebush.
Mealy firedot lichen (Caloplaca citrina) is a pretty little yellow to yellow-orange crustose lichen that likes to grow on wood or stone. The book Lichens of North America says that it is a very common lichen that rarely produces spores but this example seemed to be fruiting happily. The mealy part of its common name comes from the numerous granular soralia, which are used as a vegetative means of reproduction. They are meant to break off and start new lichens.
It could be that because mealy firedot lichens reproduce vegetatively they don’t feel the need to use energy in spore production but as this closeup view shows, this example was doing both. The tiny round objects that look like the suckers on an octopus are its fruiting bodies (apothecia). The shiny background in these photos happened because the stone was wet, so this lichen was getting plenty of water.
This is another kind of ‘ho hum’ white crusty lichen that doesn’t look very interesting until you get out your loupe or train your macro lens on it.
The ‘boring’ lichens have taught me that if something in nature doesn’t look worth bothering with it was only because I wasn’t really looking at it, because there isn’t a single piece of nature that isn’t beautiful or fascinating in some way. The fruiting bodies of this contorted rimmed lichen (Aspicilia contorta) were as tiny as a pencil dot on a piece of paper but they were there, and I’ve walked by them hundreds of times without stopping to see them. Finally noticing them wasn’t a life changing experience but such an alien landscape is very beautiful to me and I understand a little more about lichens than I did previously. Observing the beauty of nature and gaining knowledge are never a waste of time.
It seems that every time I do a post on lichens I have one or two that have me completely stumped, and this is today’s winner. Beyond knowing that it is a gray and yellow crustose lichen that was growing on granite, I know nothing about it. It’s another beautiful thing though, and eventually I’ll come across something similar in a book or on line that will get me started on the (sometimes long) trail to its identity.
I should say for those new to this blog that I am strictly an amateur at lichen identification. I don’t have a microscope, chemicals, or any of the other tools that lichenologists use but neither do I guess at lichen identities. I use the tools that I do have and often spend many long hours trying to identify these little beauties. Though I’m fairly confident of a lichen’s identity before I put it into a post, you should be aware of my limitations and should not bet the farm on what I believe it is. If you happen to be reading this and know of any mistakes I’ve made I’d be happy to have you correct them. When that happens we all benefit.
For lack of attention a thousand forms of loveliness elude us every day. ~Evelyn Underhill
Thanks for stopping in.
Nice quotation too. 🙂
I thought it fit!
Definitely. And appropriate in all contexts. 🙂
The world of lichens is certainly beautiful when you get up close.
Yes, I agree!
Great study of lichen and perhaps more importantly you have once again reminded me of the rewards of looking closer!
Thanks! It’s amazing what we can see if we just slow down and look a little closer. There are a lot of small but beautiful things out there!
The firedot gets my vote! Love the color and texture. I never would have noticed these beyond a quick nod to something growing on rocks or trees. Your “up close and personal” lessons on lichens have opened my eyes and mind to a miniature world we all miss as we rush through our day. Thanks Allen!
Thanks Martha. That firedot lichen seems to be the favorite. I’m glad you’re now seeing some of the things so many of us miss!
The rock posey lichen look a bit like yellow slugs. Interesting post!
Thanks! I agree, now that you mention it.
Hi! Your Xanthoparmelia looks isidiate, so it could not be X. cumberlandia, which has no isidia. I think it’s X. plittii. Look at the lower surface, is it brown (X. plittii) or black (X. conspersa)? For your last picture, could it be Trapeliopsis granulosa?
Nice pictures!
Thank you for the help Arold. I don’t usually look at the underside of crustose lichens because I don’t like to harm them, but I suppose I’d better start. I went back to look at the Xanthoparmelia and its underside was very black with tiny black rhizines, so I think it must be X. conspersa as you thought.
I looked at several photos of Trapeliopsis granulosa and I think you’re correct about that identification as well.
Thanks again. I’ll update this post.
I have wondered at the variety of lichens and slime moulds you find compared with the number I see but your quote explains the difference. I would have to get looking with my Macro lens to appreciate what is growing over here. Amelia
Yes, many lichens are very small and some of the detail is hard to see by eye alone.
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays and commented:
Orange sausages indeed, Allen .. looked more like fat and short hairless caterpillars to me. Wishing you a beautiful weekend ahead. Namaste
Thanks you Agnes. I’m wishing you the same. I must have been hungry when I was thinking about sausages!
lol … bbq days will be here soon .. hang on in there. Namaste
They were beautiful especially the yellow ones, I have seen something similar here where I live but didn’t know what I was looking at. I really love your blog.
Thanks for the wonderful information and photos you post on here.
You’re welcome, and thank you Darlene. There are some fairly good lichen web sites that might help you find out what your lichen is. This one has great photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1050078@N24/pool/
Such a wonderful example of the amazing world that surrounds and supports us each day of our lives…The images are just superb,
Thank you Charlie, I’m glad that you liked them. Lichens are beautiful things.
Despite the harshness of your winter, it appears to have been good for the lichens.
Yes, a little snow and cold won’t slow them down. They love a good supply of water.
Fantastic shots. You must have an amazingly steady hand or a good tripod or monopod.
Thank you but no, though I did brace myself on rocks I didn’t use either a tripod or monopod for these shots. It’s the amazing image stabilization of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7. For a camera that costs under $200.00 it’s hard to beat.
Quite a collection of pictures. I especially like the bright yellow ones. Makes me wish we had granite in Illinois. What we have was glaciated in. So, I’m not familiar with it.
Thanks! Your shots of lichens have shown that you’ve got some beautiful ones there too, with or without granite. Lichens grow just about anywhere the air is clean. There aren’t many of them that will put up with pollution.
We don’t worry about pollution around here.
Seeing small is right, you sure hit the nail on the head there! Of course I loved the photos and the information that you posted, but from following your blog for so long, I’ve started looking at the miniature world around us. I did use the macro lens with the extender to photograph the fibers on lichens, and I was amazed to see tiny lichens of a different species very close by, that I couldn’t see with the naked eye, other than a patch of color. I think that I could have spent at least an hour there on just an area of a tree less than one square foot in size, and still not have photographed every species of lichen that I saw. So, once again, thank you for opening my eyes to a world that I didn’t know existed!
You’re welcome, and thank you Jerry! You’ve touched on what it so fascinating to me about nature-no matter how small you go, there is always something smaller to see. But how do we see it? I’ve just about reached the limits of my macro lens but I wish you luck with that extender on yours. Who knows what you might find! You sure won’t have to walk far, as you’ve seen there are entire worlds just on a square foot of tree bark. It’s really amazing!
I like the quote from the great Evelyn Underhill. Her writing is full of great sayings but I find the bits inbetween so difficult to understand!
Beautiful close-ups of lichen, most of which most of us would ignore. Thank-you Allen.
You’re welcome Clare, and thank you. I have to agree with your assessment of Evelyn Underhill’s writing. I’ve read her book Mysticism twice and started on it a third time before giving up entirely. It’s odd to find that you can get something and not get it at the same time!
But we aren’t meant to all get everything and I suppose some people feel the same way about lichens. They can be hard to understand as well.
I agree with you about Mysticism! And also thinking you get it and then your grip slips and you flounder again!
I think mysticism is easier to find in the woods than it is in books.
I believe I agree with you there as well!
Nice photos. Thanks for reminding me to take my loupe when I go out. I love entering the miniature world of nature.
Thank you Paula. I carry a loupe all the time but I rarely use it. I just use my camera to take a quick shot and then zoom in on the photo to see it better. It’s surprising what you can see when you get your eyes focused on the smaller things. There’s a lot of beauty there!
The photo of the mealy firedot lichen with the water behind it is like a work of art. And I love that you admit you don’t know everything, but some day you may figure it out.
Thank you. I was surprised when I saw how the water looked in that one. Very silvery.
The last thing I want to do on this blog is mislead people so I try to occasionally remind them that I’m just an amateur like most of us are. I just try to pay a little closer attention, that’s all.
Your attention to the smallest things has changed the way I view my surroundings. As the saying goes, “Dynamite comes in small packages” I’m learning to look for the “small packages” as well as the sweeping vistas. Thank you for that!
You’re welcome Laura. I’m glad that you’re seeing some of the smaller things in nature now. They are usually worth the effort!
Loved the quote and the yellow lichen especially. You have given us a master class in lichens in this post whatever you say about only being an amateur.
Thank you Susan. I liked that quote too. Unfortunately it’s very true.
I’m just trying to show people what they might be missing. Looking a little closer can reveal some amazing things!