https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200974033
Observed this white lichen growing on a tree at the edge of the forest nearby where I live. The tree it is growing on is a Beach tree and I think it is a type of lichen known as Salted Shield Lichen, but as I have not seen its apothecia (fungal bloom) before I am not certain of that. I used the suggestions from the iNaturalist website along with the U.S. Forest Service to narrow down the results and that one looked the most similar outside of the bloom.
From the U.S. Forest service website, I located a PDF file which details some of the diversity of Lichen in Alaska (Lichens of Alaska's South Coast). I learned that lichen has two separate surfaces, the one we see and the one on the underside that touches the thing they are growing on. Lichen have features that are specialized to allow them to become dehydrated and still survive and are very well adapted to live in marginal habitats around the world. They can produce a very large variety of compounds that serve as repellents for things that might eat them and discourage competition from other plants, and there are more than a thousand known lichen types that occur on the south coast of Alaska alone. All those and more details were listed on page 3 of the file.
From another section of the same organizations’ website there is a list of uses for lichens by people and other creatures (U.S. Forest Service). Some for food, some for poison, and others for dye, they have also been used for antibiotic properties and other drugs, such as toothpaste and perfumes. Although it’s not for everyone as there is the possibility of allergic reactions and skin disorders resulting from use.
Works Cited
Lichens of Alaska’s South Coast, United States Department of Agriculture, https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5391725.pdf . Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
U.S. Forest Service. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/beauty/lichens/didyouknow.shtml#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20lichens%20are%20used,lichens%2C%20resulting%20in%20skin%20disorders. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Salted Shield Lichen (Parmelia saxatilis)Observer
d_glackinDescription
Found growing on tree at edge of woods.
Comments
Great Journal entry, Daniel! The information you shared about the lichen is interesting, and it helps to reveal how much the species around us (many that we often ignore) are living rich and unique lives, with -- at times -- some interesting crossover with our own lives. Thanks for sharing such thorough information about your species.
You did a nice job of introducing the sources within your write-up as signal phrases, but they're not quite sufficient for effectively avoiding plagiarism using MLA format. You need to introduce as a signal phrase the source EVERY TIME you share information you gained from that source, or include that source information as a parenthetical citation at the end of each piece of information you share that you got from that source.
Additionally, look over your entries in your Works Cited and compare what you have with what owl.purdue shows us should be there. For example, titles need to be in quotation marks. Your first entry does not have quotation marks around "Lichens of Alaska's South Coast," and for your second entry you don't include the title at all, which should be "Lichens - Did You Know?" Again, review owl.purdue to check how you need to edit your Works Cited entries to actually have them correctly formatted.
Lastly, I'll mention that some species that folks may take photos of benefit from a variety of photos to help with identification. Lichens are quite challenging to identify to species, but one thing that can help, is to gently peel some of the lichen off, and take photos (macro, if possible) of that underside of the lichen. The way that layer grows and looks can be helpful in identifying the lichen. Your write-up hinted at how this may be the case by the information you gave about the two separate layers (the side facing out and the side growing underneath), which was great! Also, great job sharing WHAT you found the lichen growing on! That sort of information can be essential for identification; for example, there are some species that only grow on certain things.
Add a Comment