Saturday, January 07, 2017

Skinny redheads

Well, I'm back.

I went for a walk off-road in the snow before I left. I have photos to process, but for now, to kick off 2017, here are some redheaded lichens on a stump.

Lipstick powderhorn, Cladonia macilenta.

Cladonia starts out as a cluster of leaf-like scales. The tall (comparatively) clubs (podetia) are the fertile stage; the red tips are apothecia, producing spores. The grey/green powdery sides of the clubs are also fertile; the tiny balls (soredia) break off and reproduce vegetatively. (Like when you grow a willow from a broken twig in a bottle of water.)


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