Favoritos de t_tallhouse

Observation is for the yellow spheres of fungus dotting the surface of Flavoparmelia caperata.

Sections of the surface of the host lichen have been whitened , the white medulla exposed, presumably by the deleterious influence of Burgella flavoparmeliae.

Reference: Flora of Lichenicolous Fungi, 2022, pages 56-57.

The Flavoparmelia caperata was growing on a large Loblolly Pine, Pinus taeda, on the west side of the Sandhills Garden.

Rocky River.

ILLUMINATION AT LAST!

Placynthium nigrum forms a continuous black coat, its prothallus, where the rock is regularly (more frequently than the upper section of the rock) inundated by river water.

And, it can produce its black-rimmed, black-disc apothecia from the black prothallus in the absence of the muddy-green scaly thallus that grows atop the prothallus!

In this observation, the black prothallus is being overgrown by the thallus of muddy green color where the period of inundation is longer (lower down the rock). This results in the black apothecia left to protrude amongst the scales of the muddy-green thallus.

It has been a long road for me to sort out this species of lichen.

• white cyphellae (craters) on lower surface
• profusely isidiate margin of lobes
• as with most Sticta species, imparts the odor of fish when gently touched (best done after lunch unless you are eating fish or relish said aroma).

Thanks to Chuck Cantley for brining this species to my attention by his observation, and thus solving the mystery of little lichen limpets on trees. Of course they only look like a limpet, sort of, but are in fact a Lacewing insect with a hood that it has constructed from bits of lichen.