The picture above is a detail of a photo of a small
clump of deer lichen by a Woody Goldenrod
seedling. See small or
medium versions.
I'm adding photos in local deer lichen territory
to the end of the list.
Along
the path to the deer lichen site 2.2 there is
a ground cover. In this picture, the tiny plants
poke up through a dead saw palmetto leaf. See medium,
large, or full versions.
Photograph
along a nearby bike path, large version.
On
disturbed nearby locations wildflowers spring
up. These tiny blue flowers are along the
bike path near Deer Lake. See small or medium versions.
Water
plants in nearby Eastern Lake. Gray or green-gold versions.
From CBA (Choctowhatchee Bay Association),
via Florida LAKEWATCH, comes this information:
The plants in the pictures look like Widgeon
Grass (Ruppia spp.), the species I am used
to is Ruppia maritima, but there is also Ruppia
cirrhosa (Spiral ditchgrass). The number of
coils in the pictures makes me think these
are R. cirrhosa, but usually it is found inland
and west of the Mississippi. The spiraling
parts of the plants are the peduncle (the stalk
that the flower/inflorescence forms on). It’s
common for these stalks to be coiled, I think
it is an adaptation to aid in the flowers remaining
above the water surface despite variations
in water depth (works like a bungee cord).
Ruppia spp. can be found in brackish, marine
or highly alkaline waters worldwide. It is
considered a valuable submersed aquatic plant
because waterfowl (hence the common name) will
feed on them. I would suggest that it is a
good plant to have in the lake and haven’t
heard of them causing problems from over abundance.
Here’s a good link: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/plantid2/descriptions/rupmar.html
Poster
for local Deer Lichen. PDF or
JPEG (web graphic)
Lichen
called deer
moss, with red parts. Sometimes
called "British Soldiers".
Mole
cricket tunnels by Campbell Lake in Topsail
Preserve State Park where you can see wonderful
deer lichen along the access paths. See
Back to
Nature Festival, 2007.
Back
to deer
lichen or Lookout.
{Wholeo Online} ~
{Lookout}
~ {deer lichen}
