#mycoblonde

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A: cyanobacteria B-D: lichens. These lichens are mimicking the gigantic petioles on the stem of Amorphophallus - one of the world’s largest flowers. This is probably used as camouflage defense from predators. Lichens use mimicry too, ya’ll. #evolution #cryptothecia #amorphophallus #mimicry #lichens #lichenology #mycoblonde For the full story check out Claudel et al. 2019, whose picture is shown https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boz014 https://www.instagram.com/p/CIjuhiss2pa/?igshid=1w5jurps9ad31

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Here’s Echinocereus viridiflorus, the only flowering cactus we saw (I think we were a couple weeks early too see most of the spring wildflowers). Look at those lime green flowers! Luckily lichens are always colorful, that’s egg-yolk yellow Candelariella surrounded by some drab grey Acarospora. #mycoblonde #lichenology #lichens #grasslands #comanchenationalgrasslands #cacti #cactiofinstagram #fieldwork https://www.instagram.com/p/B_NHj8wJS02/?igshid=13dd55t5wkvqg

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A beautiful chunk of Letharia columbiana from the Grand Tetons a couple years back. That was the coldest I have ever been while camping but it was still a glorious trip in the ol’ Astrovan. Plenty of alpine lakes and lichens to go round...the Letharia are especially fluorescent in winter next to the blinding white snow ⚡️☀️💗 #mycology #lichenology #grandtetons #letharia #mycoblonde #camping #brrr https://www.instagram.com/p/B-XQBR9J-9Q/?igshid=t6fvrff0pqoy

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SONORA FEELS! Today the American and Bryological and Lichenological Society hiked a couple different altitudes at Madera Canyon. I quickly gave into my solo-hiker habits and peeled off to do the long loop. It was hot, no doubt, but the shade of mesquite and oaks and ponderosas was just enough and there was plenty of pretty things to occupy my mind. Here’s Cladonia chlorophaea (probably), a colorful baby Mammillaria cactus, the periwinkle blue neck of the Sonoran collared lizard Crotaphytus nebrius, a red flower I don’t know (@waxwingboheme do you know it?) doing tree pose in a big hat, the huge waxy flower of a giant Mammillaria, another red flower I don’t know (halp?), the most perfect Xanthomendoza lichen I’ve ever seen, and me looking super stoked in my new favorite hiking/fieldwork hat. Thanks for selling this perfect hat to me when I was slightly drunk at a beer festival @rmohats #hiking #tucson #rmohats #arizona #mammillaria #cactus #lichens #lichenology #abls #flowers #desert #sonoradesert #mycoblonde #cladonia (at Madera Canyon, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0eoxSBg71x/?igshid=5qwxhncgond0

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Cladonia (lichen), New Caledonia (country), Caladonia (orchid), and yoga (duh). Is there really a demographic out there that likes fungus, climbing and yoga photos? All right, coo. #mycoblonde #newcaledonia #orchids #lichens #fieldwork #montdo #cladonia #yoga https://www.instagram.com/p/B1bjBVmHWwq/?igshid=1c67c6en9bauc

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Accurate identification and characterization of species is the basis of communication, conservation, resources management and material used in biological research.

Boluda et al. 2019, “Evaluating methodologies for species delimitation...”

There’s no getting around it, we need to know the biodiversity of our planet if we want to save it. 

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A NEW JERSEY LOVE STORY

I’m so, so lucky. I realize this more and more every day. A couple weeks ago I got the opportunity to travel to the New York Botanical Garden to collect some tissue from NYBG’s vast collections of Cladonia. I had never been to New York City (‘you can just say New York...’) before, but I actually loved it. So much ENERGY! So much FOOD! So much HISTORY! I love the remote forests of the world, but I gotta admit the truth: I also looooove cities. 

Apart from working in the herbarium, I got to hang with my unbelievably talented co-advisor while he took me and a colleague to the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. It was cold, it was sunny, there was much skipping, there was much lichenizing. Apparently the devil lives in those woods but we didn’t see him. Then we drove back to the city and got some oysters and martinis and wine. Yep, lucky. Here’s some love from that beautiful pine forest.

PICTURES (top to bottom):

1. AWWWWW IT’S A HEART! What a gorgeous loaf of Cladonia subtenuis. I’m trying to call these loaves to everyone so that it becomes the proper terminology for a group of Cladonia.

2. Everyone loves an earth star. These are some Geastrum; I know almost nothing about that genus so if anyone knows the species, feel free to comment!

3. My coadvisor is a master at seeking out teeny tiny pin lichens...these things are about a millimeter tall. You have to know where to look.

4. Here’s a close-up...see the teeny stalks and round tops? These are a species of Calicium.

5. How can anything be so weird and beautiful? This is Cladonia rappii, my favorite find of the day. We couldn’t find them for a while, but once you have them in your eyes, you suddenly see them everywhere.

6. This was supposed to be a sort-of professional picture for my website, but it turned out quite romantic and glamour-shot-y. The lichen and I look like we’re moving in for the big kiss that the audience has been waiting for.

7. Skipping through a field of Cladonia. I’m leaving KAI BYE!

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Strongly missing both Midwestern and coastal forests (=moisture) lately. Also missing mushroom hunts with these bishes #mycology #mycoblonde #alldressedupandgoingtothewoods #mushrooms https://www.instagram.com/p/CK9MZGusDfW/?igshid=1a4lir80qnp2a