Mosses, Lichens, Liverworts etc: under-recorded groups

[Rick R.]

A white barked tree trunk?  No!
It's a Sugar maple completely covered by a crustose type lichen. 

And it seems that that same crustose lichen is covering a foliose lichen in the lower left?

[johnw]

The autumn colours are surreal this year, time to pause and enjoy this little pub scene.... Pixie Cups.

john

[David Nicholson]

............................enjoy this little pub scene....
john

I couldn't see a single pint?

[johnw]

I couldn't see a single pint?

Took the pic on my way OUT the door.

[ian mcdonald]

img 1000602 sphagnum fuscum?

[Rick R.]

Selaginella rupestris, wild in western Minnesota, USA.
Selaginella tamariscina, in a garden in northern Wisconsin, USA.  Zone 3, heavy natural snow cover.

[Gabriela]

Found this interesting 'moss-on-the rock' in the woods, besides many other mosses at this time of year. It wasn't easy to find at least the genus, seems that it may be an Orthotrichum? First time I've seen it, or maybe I didn't pay enough attention...

[Lori S.]

What an excellent forum topic!  When the flowers are out of bloom, these groups still provide tons of interest and I always enjoy seeing them.

I thought these were liverworts but it seems they are actually lichens, possibly Peltigera aphthosa.  This type of lichen is common in the woods out here and I see similar-looking ones that are either green or grey. The book I have (Mosses, Lichens and Ferns of Northwest North America; Vitt, Marsh and Bovey) says that this species is bright green when moist and dull grey-green when dry, so maybe that explains it?  However, grey and green ones are often interspersed on the forest floor so I'm not sure - perhaps I'm actually seeing different species?
Photo from Nov. 7/15 in Banff N.P.:


More lichens... Rhizocarpon geographicum, I think, and others on a quartzite outcrop in the mountains:

[Lori S.]

Lichen, Letharia sp., on an alpine larch branch in the understory of grouseberry (? - Vaccinium scoparium) and crowberry in September:

[Gabriela]

What an excellent forum topic!  When the flowers are out of bloom, these groups still provide tons of interest and I always enjoy seeing them.

Aren't they great for those 'no-snow' short periods? Hope to establish more in the garden too.
Another one looking like a green puppy sleeping in the leaves; it was nice to stroke its 'fur' 

[Rick R.]

My friend, Mike Heim, is a botany professor at a local college in northern Wisconsin, USA.  He conducts field trips in wild Wisconsin.  Some have been video recorded, and he is very knowledgeable with the local flora, fauna, geology and ecosystems.  Lichens, mosses and fungi always pop up in his forays, and some of you might be interested.

http://www.apg-wi.com/sawyer_county_record/news/video-bog-walk-with-michael-heim/youtube_8e464456-6855-11e5-80bf-eb707eb9b474.html

http://www.apg-wi.com/sawyer_county_record/news/local/video-michael-heim-leads-field-trip-to-brunsweiler-canyon-penokee/youtube_ebdf6702-80e0-11e5-97b1-d7289f985e4d.html

And more here:
http://www.apg-wi.com/search/?f=&q=michael+heim&d1=&d2=&s=start_time&sd=desc&l=10&t=&nsa=eedition

[Gabriela]

Out in the woods yesterday so I can renew this thread:
Trametes versicolor - Turkey Tail


Sarcoscypha occidentalis - Scarlet pixie cup (S. coccinea is not that small but I may be wrong)


Lichen and a rock moss I don't know yet; I like it the way it grows on rocks:

[Chris Johnson]

Good to see your woodland species, Gabriela, especially living in a treeless area.

The Sarcoscypha occidentalis is immature, it will open to expose a completely red surface. As a North American Continent species, I cannot comment further.

[Gabriela]

Good to see your woodland species, Gabriela, especially living in a treeless area.
The Sarcoscypha occidentalis is immature, it will open to expose a completely red surface. As a North American Continent species, I cannot comment further.

That must be tough to live in a treeless region. Unfortunately, there was only a thin stick with three bodies attached, maybe I will find more in the spring - I hope.
I've seen on the web great pictures with scarlet cups among snowdrops flowering and I am thinking that they would also make a nice scenery with our Dicentra cuccularia.
Did you know they are edible?

[Chris Johnson]

That must be tough to live in a treeless region. Unfortunately, there was only a thin stick with three bodies attached, maybe I will find more in the spring - I hope.
I've seen on the web great pictures with scarlet cups among snowdrops flowering and I am thinking that they would also make a nice scenery with our Dicentra cuccularia.
Did you know they are edible?

I do miss trees but a price worth paying to live in such a beautiful area. I live right on the coast overlooking the Atlantic and part of the charm is the vast open landscape. We have thin soil overlying sand, coupled with ferocious winter gales, so wouldn't support tree growth. The east side of the island is peat moorland where trees would grow with sufficient protection from deer.

Many fungi are edible but not many, in my opinion, are worth bothering with as they are largely tasteless or even unpleasant. Bearing in mind that the world mycota is estimated as 6-10 times that of the flora (and probably even more than that) there is ample room for mistakes. A large number of 'poisonous' fungi will only give to a bad stomach but some with destroy your nervous system, and a few with kill you.