lichenaday:Acarospora stapfiana Why do I love this lichen so much? Is it because in every picture
lichenaday: Acarospora stapfiana Why do I love this lichen so much? Is it because in every picture it is growing in between the areoles (tile-like lobes) of Caloplaca trachyphylla all like “hey guys, can I just uh, yep, yep, there we go, get in here real quick? is this cool? thanks.” Or is it because the color contrast it forms is exquisite AF? Or is it because every picture I find of it is located in a place I absolutely adore? Like the mountains along the Idaho/Montana boarder or Canyonlands NP in Utah or Bison Basin, Wyoming? The answer is yes to all. A stapfiana is a lichenicolous (parasite of lichens), crustose lichen that grows within the areoles of other lichens, eventually growing largely and forming its own rounded, independent areoles. The upper surface is yellow-green, and often becomes covered in white pruina with age. Apotheica grow in the middle of the areoles, often taking over the entire surface with their black or reddish-brown disc immersed in the center, leaving just a small margin of the thallus left. In North America, it can be found growing on C. trachyphylla, or on calcareous rock. It has also been found in Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan. I know it seems cruel, but that’s nature for you. It’s a lichen-eat-lichen world. images: source | source info: source -- source link
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