A cold and snowy morning walk through the magical forests at Hillman yielded a diversity of both lichenized and non-lichenized fungi. About 15 people joined us as we explored the pine and aspen dominated forests on a former strip mining site.

Note: several of our lichen finds (most notably, the beard lichens in the genus Usnea) required detailed microscopic or chemical analysis to identify to species and were left at the genus level. No lichens were harvested or collected for this walk. On top of being sensitive to air pollution, lichens are slow-growing and cannot be sustainably harvested in our region.

Species list entered by Stephen Bucklin.

Fungi:
Exidia crenata ( Brown jelly roll)
Exidia glandulosa ( Beech jelly roll)
Lycoperdon perlatum ( Gem-studded Puffball)
Nectria cinnabarina ( Coral Spot Fungus)
Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae ( Spring Beauty Rust)
Stereum complicatum ( Crowded Parchment)
Poronidulus conchifer ( )
Trametes hirsuta ( )
Trametes versicolor ( Turkey-tail)
Tubakia suttoniana ( )
Tubaria furfuracea ( Fringed Tubaria)

Lichen:
Bryoria furcellata ( Burred Horsehair Lichen )
Cladonia cristatella ( British soldier lichen )
Cladonia grayi ( Gray’s Cup Lichen )
Cladonia rangiferina ( Gray reindeer lichen )
Cladonia subtenuis ( Dixie Reindeer Lichen )
Flavoparmelia caperata ( Common greenshield lichen )
Hypogymnia physodes ( Hooded Tube Lichen )
Imshaugia placorodia ( American Starburst Lichen )
Lepraria finkii ( Fluffy Dust Lichen )
Melanelixia subaurifera ( Abraded Camouflage Lichen )
Myelochroa aurulenta ( Powdery Axil-bristle Lichen )
Parmelia sulcata ( Shield lichen )
Parmotrema hypotropum ( Powdered ruffle lichen )
Physcia adscendens ( Hooded Rosette Lichen )
Physcia millegrana ( Rosette lichen )
Physcia stellaris ( Star Rosette Lichen )
Platismatia tuckermanii ( Crumpled Rag Lichen )
Pseudevernia consocians ( Common Antler Lichen )
Punctelia rudecta ( Rough speckled shield lichen )
Ramalina americana ( Sinewed Bushy Lichen)

Lichens missing from list:
Caloplaca cerina
Cladonia incrassata
Cladonia macilenta
Cladonia ochrochlora

Evernia mesomorpha (boreal oakmoss)
Lecanora hybocarpa (bumpy rim lichen)
Parmotrema reticulatum (reticulated ruffle lichen)
Peltigera rufescens
Punctelia caseana
Tuckermanella fendleri

Cladonia spp
Parmotrema sp
Peltigera sp
Phaeophyscia sp
Tuckermanopsis sp
Usnea spp (4+ distinct species)

Non-lichenized fungi missing from list:
Phragmidium potentillae (Cinquefoil rust)
Dacrymyces sp
Xylaria sp

Photos by Cara Barkley Coulter