02-18-15 Phenology Field Note

02-18-15 Phenology Field Note

February 18, 2015

Rebecca Durham shares a field note that shows mosses, lichen and a gray grasshopper.

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MPG Field Note Mosses, lichens, and a gray grasshopper February 17, 2015 Rebecca Durham

Brush-like rhizines help anchor this ground dwelling lichen (Peltigera canina).

Non-native spotted knapweed grows earlier and longer than most native species (Centaurea stoebe).

This gray grasshopper blends perfectly with a decaying cone.

Away from the cone, its body contrasts with litter.

Buttercups tolerate variable winter/spring conditions, including snow. Throughout its range in western America, they usually bloom as the first spring flower (Ranunculus glaberrimus). Many mosses produce sporophytes with spring moisture.

The white edges of this brown lichen consist of reproductive soredia. Soredia include both fungi and algae. (Tuckermannopsis chlorophylla).

Though species identification often requires chemical tests, we can distinguish the genus of many macrolichens in the field. These common genera (Usnea, Letharia, and Hypogymnia) grow on tree branches and bark.