Thomas Bancroft Photography

Cladonia sp. & Rag Lichen & Beard Lichen

The cluster seemed random and chaotic, but it had an interesting design. Rag lichen dominated the left and top, with many small Cladonia in the middle. Then, a few strands of beard lichen popped through the mat. Tufts of green moss added a different color to the lichens. What determines how these clumps grow, I wondered. Is it just random whose spores arrive first, or do they create a micro-climate enhanced by having several species? So much remains unknown to me.

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Filename: Cladonia sp. & Rag Lichen & Beard Lichen-Deception Pass State Park-Skagit County-0078.jpg
Copyright: @ Thomas Bancroft
Image Size: 2500x1664 / 2.3MB; Beard Lichen Bryophytes Cladonia Cladonia sp. Lichens Platismatia Sp Rag Lichen Usnea sp.
Contained in galleries: Bryophytes - Deception Pass State Park

The cluster seemed random and chaotic, but it had an interesting design. Rag lichen dominated the left and top, with many small Cladonia in the middle. Then, a few strands of beard lichen popped through the mat. Tufts of green moss added a different color to the lichens. What determines how these clumps grow, I wondered. Is it just random whose spores arrive first, or do they create a micro-climate enhanced by having several species? So much remains unknown to me.