Northwest Lichenologists (NWL)

Every other year NW Lichenologists meets for certification for macrolichens in the Pacific NW of North America. Two subgroups attend: those wishing for more training and those taking the certification exam. Check out the info here: northwest-lichenologists.wildapricot.org/page-1854192

Occasionally, we get to travel to the NW fringes. Recently, the Calif. Lichen Soc. forayed to San Luis Obispo. How could we not want to see that area too? So, here are few specimens from the Los Osos. Our IDs are

Usnea rubicunda
Heterodermia leucomelos
Lecanora caesiorubella

Your input on them?

Stereocaulon dactophyllum is today’s lichen hit. And because I am feeling generous, here’s a Pannaria rubiginosa.

Are #lichens truly a treasure chest of #naturalproducts compared to non-lichenized #fungi? We put this to test using #BGC count as a proxy across ~400 #genomes.

Spoiler alert: They absolutely are!

#PKSs
#secondaryMetabolites
#Lecanoromycetes
#fungalGenomics

Article link: tinyurl.com/ynph7npe

A big revision for the Lecanora saligna group -- six new species in Lecanoropsis. This is a common group of crustose lichens in western North America and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere.

Sometimes you just need to sit back and stare at rocks, or at least the exciting things covering them like this one here with Rhizoplaca, Xanthoria, and others. -Seen in Central Oregon over the weekend, along with Umbilicaria phaea and what keys out to be U. krascheninnikovii on nearby rock. #lichen

Yellow-green foliose lichen with narrow lobes with terminal soralia and dichotomously branched rhizines

Hypotrachyna sinuosa a widespread species commonly encountered in low elevation riparian forests in the Pacific Northwest, seen here on Oregon ash in a riverside swamp in Lane County, Oregon.

Nothing is more satifying than seeing the intrepid inventory work of a group of lichenologists tracking rare to even common lichens. Here we are on the Oregon coast last week looking for Erioderma, Leioderma, & Sulcaria, as well as a host of Cladonias and others. Pannaria oregonensis is shown.

Three presenters at a podium about ready to talk on their research on lichens and marbled murrelet nests.

Sometimes you hit the TRIFECTA-Lichens, rare birds, and old-growth, as the folks from Evergreen State College did during their group talk on lichens and marbled murrelets at the NW Lichenologists/Scientific Assoc. meeting talk Wednesday. Their mentor, Dr Calabria is leading the way. #lichens

It was great to see folks so interested in lichens. Thanks for the photo!

A great week with the @nwlichenologists.bsky.social

The Northwest Lichenologists on the search for rare lichens in the Willamette Valley during the NWLichenologist / Northwest Scientific Association at the University of Oregon this mid-March. If you want to learn, we want your interest. #lichen #biologicalsurvey #inventory

How about the specimen of Sphaerophorus! I am learning towards S. venerabilis, but you can set us straight. It's from Mary's Peak in the Coastal Range of Oregon.

eDNA and traditional biocrust sampling each have blind spots for biodiversity but tell a similar ecological story of disturbance in Artemisia steppe.
The Bryologist, 128(1):1-15 (2025). doi.org/10.1639/0007...

I don't think so, based on what I think her name is.

A ball-like mass of a dark brown / black fruticose lichen from Crater Lake National Park in Oregon

So here is a recently observed specimen from Crater Lake National Park here in Oregon. Anyone want to put a name to it? I don't think this will be too hard. The Genus should be easy. And by the way, you gotta love your parks! #lichens #lichenologists #NPS #NationalParks

A bright yellow Letharia columbiana lichen specimen sitting on snow

Support for student/enthusiasts! NWL is offering ~10, $150 awards to help student/non-student lichen folk with need presenting talk or poster. Must also be registered with NWSA for the meeting. Have abstract ready before applying-Deadline 2/17 northwest-lichenologists.wildapricot.org/event-5957694

Valentine's day lichen-style.

Always love seeing Teloschistes.

Always love seeing Teloschisties.

What lichen tell us about ecology.

Note the date. This is soon.

Happy to share that the California Lichen Society's annual meeting and field trip will be in the San Luis Obispo / Paso Robles area on January 25. Open to everyone, free / by donation.

Field day, potluck dinner and an evening talk by the great Dr. Jessi Allen!

Registration coming soon. Join us!

A ground dwelling lichen resembling chocolate chips surrounded by green thallus tissue and distinct blue grey external cephalodia

Solorina spongiosa with its distinctly spongy external cephalodia, seen here in a roadside depression within a forested limestone area in the Tongass National Forest on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

Vagrant Rhizoplaca get a deeper look. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Annual General Meeting

Eugene, Oregon: Mar 17-20, 2025

Registration is through the Northwest Scientific Association website: www.northwestscience.org The meeting has talks, a workshop, and one or more field trips.

Schedule and summary of lichen activities for the meeting will be posted there.

A colony of lichens called Ramlina menziesii drapes across several small tree branches. The lichen looks somewhat like a fishnet.

Just a fine example of Ramalina menziesii on the Lane/Benton County border of Oregon for our first post here on Bluesky Social. We are also on Instagram @nwlichenologists and on
Facebook.