#on fleek in beaver creek

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Bistorta plumosa (Polygonaceae)

meadow bistort

You know what? It's been a while since I posted a vascular plant and these were one of my favourites from the bioblitz.

near Koidern | July 18, 2022

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tundra texture tuesday

Another unmistakable tundra lichen is Sphaerophorus fragilis. Here it is happily cohabitating with a moss.

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tundra texture tuesday

What a combo this week! Cetraria nivalis (white leafy), Stereocaulon sp. (white popcorn-like), and a couple Cladonia species (white treelike and brown spikes).

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update: according to @grumpyfenris it might be Bryum argenteum.

tundra texture tuesday

I have no idea what moss this is but it is so round and nice.

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tundra texture tuesday

Vulpicida juniperina is a common soil lichen in the tundra, easily identified by virtue of being the only bright yellow leafy thing growing on the ground. If you see something similar on a tree, it's probably V. pinastri.

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anyway I survived the Yukon and it WILDLY exceeded my expectations. I met 5 (!) lichenologists and have never felt more instantly welcomed into a group. Biologists are always weird as hell (affectionate) but these ones were my type of weird, ya know? I also got to go in a helicopter twice to look for lichens in the alpine! I had such a good time I'm seriously thinking again about doing a masters...

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It's

tundra texture tuesday

Tundra Texture (TM) is what I call the delicious combination of lichens and bryophytes and small plants that make the tundra look like a tasty snack mix. Pictured here is a Cetraria sp. (either laevigata or ericetorum) (the dark brown one) and probably Cladonia rangiferina (greyish and treelike).

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*guy who just remembered he used to make educational posts on here voice*

Vagrant is a real lichenology term referring to lichens that grow unattached to the substrate and are free to roll around like tumbleweeds!

One of my favourite examples is Masonhalea richardsonii, which can be found in alpine tundra in the north. Here are some I found in the Yukon last summer:

forbidden seaweed snacks...

Hark! a vagrant!

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here's a fun little thing I forgot to post until I found it in my notebook just now: bioblitz bingo! featuring some incredibly niche jokes, hope u enjoy

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about to head into the wilderness of mosquitoes and no cell service for my first bioblitz! wish me luck!

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tundra texture tuesday

I have no idea what moss this is but it is so round and nice.

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said moss is a Racomitrium sp. (shoutout again to @grumpyfenris for ID)

tundra texture tuesday

Another unmistakable tundra lichen is Sphaerophorus fragilis. Here it is happily cohabitating with a moss.