Cladonia Evansii

To begin with a lichen is an sybiotic association between a fungus and algae. Specifically, Cladonia Evansii, which is known as "deer moss" is commonly found throughout . I found my sample behind the Santa Fe Watson Center.

Characteristics of a lichen include no roots meaning you can: take a lichen remove it from the ground, plant in a different location, and the lichen will survive. So being that lichen's have no roots the moisture from the air is very important to them. On rainy days a lichen will become soft and on dry days the lichen will be brittle or hard. Along the lines of absorbing the moisture from the air, lichens, also absorb other minerals from the air making them a good indicator. In heavy polluted areas the chance of seeing a lichen is less than that of areas which are less polluted. Another indication is if a fire has burned near by, lichens take a while to grow so if there aren't any it could be possible that there was a fire at one time. Finally lichens contain a nitrogen-fixing bacteria so when they begin to die or decay they release it into the soil which is beneficial too other plants.

Lichens

Cladonia lepornia

The cladonia genus consists of several species of cup-lichen. C. lepornia is found on moist, sandy soil, in partial shade. Because of the tale-tell red balls on the tips, it has earned the common name of "jester lichen" and is found year-roundin the south eastern section of the United States. Further north, the cladonia genus is often described as being forage lichens, mat-forming lichens, or reindeer lichens (due to their importance as caribou winter forage).

Cladonia evansii

Deer moss
Originally uploaded by Maria 87

Also known as Deer moss or Deer Lichen, these lichens are actually endangered, even though they seem to coat the ground in some places. These cloud shaped lichens can take decades to grow, and old growth forests that have been around long enough for these plants to grow are getting rare, which is compounded by the fact that like all lichens, these are very sensitive to air pollution. Though it is a small industry, this lichen is sold to model building companies to make miniature trees out of.

Where it is found, Deer Lichen is eaten by many small herbivores, especially, guess what, deer. It can be used to estimate the time since rain last fell because it gets soft and spongy when wet, and crunchy as it drys. It can also be used to estimate the amount of time since the last fire in the area, which happens naturally in Florida unless humans put it out.

Like other lichens, Deer Lichen has no roots, and a clump can be picked up and put back down without harming it. (It does need to be put down someplace with similar light and climate conditions though.)

I used http://www.wholeo.net/Lookout/lookout2007/lookout07.html for most of my info, but some came from http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek010222.html