Almost 20 inches of snow kept this person home, doing a nature hike through her picture files. I definitely have no shortage of files.
Mosses and lichens grow high on the rocky hills on Shawnee National Forest land south of my rural property. That’s where these pictures came from.
The following lichens are in a group called fruticose lichens. They are distinguished by miniature branched stalks or by being somewhat bushy.
Meet British Soldiers lichen,
also called red cap.
They also go by the name scientific name Cladonia cristatella. The red cap is the fruiting body of the lichen.
Brown cap ( Cladonia capitata) resembles the red cap. They’re much less common here. Their stalks were less than 1/2 inch tall.
These pixie cups are so cute. I don’t know enough about them to determine which species of Cladonia they are.
This last fruticose lichen is called reindeer moss. Obviously, we don’t have reindeer in southern Illinois to eat it. I’m unable to find it’s scientific name.
Reindeer moss can grow into large clumps and be quite common. They’re brittle when dry, and soft and cushy when damp.
Lichens are actually two plants — a fungus and algae – growing together in a symbiotic relationship. The fungus provides the algae a place to live, and the algae provides food for the lichen.
Posted by my secret love for you on January 11, 2013 at 9:33 am
unbelievable how precious is our nature, full of amazing beings. Beautiful pictures!
Posted by naturesnippets on January 11, 2013 at 9:42 am
Thanks. Seem like the tiny and teeny get overlooked. They’re full of wonder too.
Posted by naturesnippets on January 12, 2013 at 8:35 am
Thanks so much. Small can be just amazing as the more obvious. And there will always be more to learn.
Posted by petspeopleandlife on January 11, 2013 at 12:59 pm
These are very nice. I really enjoyed seeing these. Such interesting and pretty lichens. I am learning so much from your blog.
Posted by naturesnippets on January 11, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Thanks for commenting. Nature has so much to teach those that take the time to notice.
Posted by New Hampshire Garden Solutions on January 11, 2013 at 6:31 pm
Those are excellent photos-especially of the British soldiers. My lichen book says that your reindeer lichen might be Cladina mitis.
Posted by naturesnippets on January 11, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Thanks. I only book I have is Walk Softly Upon the Earth, a publication by the Missouri Dept of Conversation. What lichen book do you have?
Posted by New Hampshire Garden Solutions on January 12, 2013 at 6:15 pm
Lichens of the North Woods by Joe Walewski. It identifies 111 different lichens growing on wood, stone or earth.
Posted by naturesnippets on January 12, 2013 at 6:19 pm
Thanks
Posted by orbphotog on January 12, 2013 at 10:20 am
Absolutely stunning! I only know the flat lichens that cover the rocks of the High Sierras.
Posted by naturesnippets on January 12, 2013 at 11:57 am
Thanks. You will probably find more … an excuse to go check. I always like excuses to hike.
Posted by Therese on January 12, 2013 at 6:40 pm
I can remember when we were hiking and you introduced me to the British Soldiers and Pixiecups! Great memories!!!! Stunning pictures, Deer Sister.
Posted by naturesnippets on January 12, 2013 at 6:43 pm
Thanks, Deer Sister, glad you enjoyed them and the memoried they sparked.
Posted by The Balsamean on February 26, 2013 at 10:21 pm
Terrific photos of these lichens. I believe your reindeer moss may be Cladonia stellaris … http://www.sharnoffphotos.com/lichensB/cladonia_stellaris.html … sharnoffphotos.com has the best pix I’ve found … from their book Lichens of North America. Possibly Cladonia rangiferina, but that is whiter and not in such balled clusters. I have some of each here in my northern Adirondack woods (far NE NY). I have a post draft in the works on my (believed) Cladonia stellaris and rangiferina. I just posted one on my Brit soldiers. I believe they all tend to get lumped into the reindeer lichen name. Some sites also call the Brits and other cupped ones “cup lichen.”
Posted by British soldiers in Balsamea woods! | The Balsamean on February 26, 2013 at 10:31 pm
[...] Fruticose Lichens (includes British soldiers) (naturesnippets.com) [...]
Posted by Ice | The Balsamean on February 27, 2013 at 7:38 pm
[...] the record: I found naturesnippets.com via Deecee’s post, Fruticose Lichens while exploring information for my recent post on British soldier lichens (Cladonia [...]
Posted by naturesnippets on February 27, 2013 at 10:17 pm
It’s nice to hear how you found my blogs. Glad to “meet” you.