A newly formed colony of British Soldier Lichen I found on another old landscape timber. This was a little easier to shoot without so much other plant life around it. It's the KING of lichens.
British Soldier (Cladonia cristatella)
--Habitat: Open woods, roadsides
--Substrate: Soil, tree bases, rotting logs and stumps, decaying wood
--Isidia & Soredia: None (although the podetia can appear very bumpy)
--Apothecia: Bright red and lumpy (no cups) apothecia top branched podetia. They may remind gardeners of red cockscomb (Celosia cristata).
--Distinctive Features: The upright lumpy podetia that lack soredia, and the bright red apothecia suggest British soldiers with spotless coats. The yellow-green podetia arise from persistent squamules that are also soredia-free.
--Notes: This is the cardinal of the lichen world, widely known as British Soldiers in its Eastern North American home (but there are no British soldiers in Britain!). Its colors are more subdued in shade. There are other somewhat similar Cladonia species that are sorediate. Cladonia cristatella was used in studies that helped to establish that the fungi-algae relationship is not always mutualistic but more of a controlled parasitism (Ahmadjian and Jacobs 1981).
From the Franz Lichen Guide which is a free download in PDF format.
