Environmental Flux

Feb 2, 2019. Went out this morning around 10am for a little walk around the back woods. Temperature is about 6ºF and the wind was just rustling the leaves slightly from the SW, probably the remnants of the polar vortex that has plunged most of the country into a deep freeze this week. First thing I heard was the Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) bird calling from a nearby tree. I didn’t think they stayed around during the winter months? The Cornell website says they winter farther north than other species but this seems like rough weather for a bird that is an insect eater!

True confession …I had two companions with me this morning that pretty much kept me from seeing any wildlife. Here’s one:

…and here’s the other:

The phoebe didn’t care much for the dogs this morning and made enough of a racket to keep all the forest critters away. That’s okay, there’s plenty to see in the woods that doesn’t run away when the dogs are outside.

Last summer I went to an estate sale of a person who loved books. This person’s small house had bookshelves in every room organized by topic and the prices were right up my alley; a buck for hardbacks and 50 cents for paperbacks. I found a treasure trove of nature books and wish I had bought more. The only problem is the owner was a heavy smoker so every time I get one out the stench of nicotine is a little obnoxious. I bought a field guide to lichens that day that describes over a hundred species found in the northern United States. I don’t know much about lichen so maybe I’ll take this book with me on my treks and see how many different species I can find here in New Hampshire.

Today I took some pics of several different lichen types I saw. Some were on trees and some were on rocks. I wonder if there are species that only occur on one or the other or if they can be found on both? Looking at the book when I got home I learned that lichen are grouped into three basic types: crustose (look like they’ve been spray-painted on the substrate); foliose (looks like leafy growths); and fruticose (bushy, often with stalks). Here’s one I saw on a branch of a sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum) that blew down last spring.

This is a foliose lichen, possibly Bottlebrush Shield Lichen (Parmelia squarrosa). Here’s another pic of it but this example has another lichen growing along with it. Looks to be a fruticose lichen, probably Bristly Beard Lichen (Usnea hirta). The guide book says Usnea species contain compounds with antibiotic properties that are better than penicillin for treating exterior wounds. Might be good to know if you ever were hurt on a backcountry trip without medical assistance!

Here’s a crustose lichen growing on a rock. It looks like circular, gray patches on the rock. My best guess is this is a tile lichen, possibly a Lecidea species. There’s a lot of moss and probably other lichens on this rock too. In the future I’ll have to figure out how to take better close-up photos with my phone.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton