I have never seen this before. Serviceberry is a common, native shrub, flowering up and down the slopes at this time of year. This one is on a hillside above the highway that crosses the island; it has been taken over by masses of lichens (at least two species) and moss, maybe also something else.
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| Amelanchier alnifolia, still flowering bravely. |
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| Mostly lichens. |
This is a large specimen; the photos show the branches nearest to me, but the whole shrub, stem to top, was covered with these clumps. I couldn't get any closer, not without bush-whacking tools.
What is happening here?
UPDATE: I've been told that this is completely normal in an older plant, a sign of healthy air quality. Nice to know.
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Nunca antes he visto nada como esto. Los Saskatunes, Amelanchier alnifolia, son arbustos nativos a la región, muy comunes. En esta temporada se ven sus flores blancas en las laderas de todos nuestros cerros; este crece cerca de la carretera que cruza la isla. Y lo que no he visto antes; ha sido invadido por una multitud de líquenes (por lo menos 2 especies) y musgos, tal vez otra plaga.
Fotos: secciones de la planta, con los invasores.
Este fue un arbusto bastante grande; las fotos incluyen solamente unas ramas, las más cercanas al punto donde pude acercarme, sin disponer de un buen machete. El arbusto entero estaba cubierto de estas masas negras.
¿Qué pasa aquí?
NUEVO: Me dicen que esta condición es totalmente normal en arbustos maduros, y es señal de una calidad sana del aire.
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