Open Thread – Name That Lichen
More loveliness from the campus of the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. I’d heard that the hanging stuff is called “deer moss” but after a Google search, I’m not convinced that’s the actual name, nor am I convinced that it’s even moss, and not lichen. If there is anyone in the know, please leave a comment. I do know that in order for whatever this is to grow, air quality must be very good. As soon as pollution is present, it will turn dark and die, leaving little black steel-wool-like remains hanging in the tree. This stuff, fortunately looked in the peak of health.
This is Alectoria sarmentosa, a lichen very common in SE Alaska, and very important forage for animals. It is also used in Alaska to monitor air pollution by the USFS. A lichen is a symbiotic relationship with a fungus and an algae and sometimes a cyanobacteria as well. There are over 700 species in SE Alaska alone, many thousand in Alaska. Take care of the lichens as they will take care of us!
Lichen is a barometer for the health of the environment. Here’s a cool segment that aired on Oregon Public Broadcasting a few weeks back. More information for us that care about the air we breathe, and stuff that makes GOP climate denialists and public broadcasting defunders squirm.
http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segments/view/1778
great story, thanks!
It’s definitely a lichen. And I can understand why it’s called deer moss. I have observed Sitka blacktail deer on Afognak Island devouring the stuff, even to the point of standing on their hind legs to reach up and pull it off the branches of the spruce trees where it grew. And it wasn’t just a starvation diet thing, like when they eat seaweed. There were still plenty of other things to eat in the areas I witnessed this.
is anyone else finding it impossible to get to DU? i haven’t been able to since i got home from work yesterday and want to be sure it’s not just me. thanks
Just jumping in here. That is such a pretty picture and I have NO idea what it might be, so I decided just to call it “I’m likin it a lot”. 🙂
I have to say I am completely unable to function due to too much laughter after reading this –
http://wonkette.com/439416/sarah-palin-also-has-a-secret-twitter-account-to-follow-herself
I always follow myself so I will know where I am going and later, where I went. You never quite know for sure, unless you keep an eye on yourself! 🙂
I was laughing so hard I would have slipped out of the chair if I hadn’t had my feet up! My dear lord in heaven, that is the funniest thing I’ve ever read!
“Narcissistic” doesn’t come anywhere near describing this sorry parody of herself!
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 I can’t stop laughing! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Do you think she signed her own year book? Over 🙂 and over 🙂 and over 🙂 ????
Good luck at college! Love Sara
You’re the best! XOXOXOXO Sarah Heap
I’ll always remember you! Hugs! Heather Sarah
I wish I were as cool as you! Lou Heath
Well, aren’t you the best girl in the whole world! Love Mrs. Todd Palin (fingers crossed!!!!!)
Ohhhhh! You’re just so rad! Love Mrs. Podd Minin Talin (I hope, I hope!)
I will vote 4 U when U run 4 meyer 🙂 Louise Pile-on (I think he’s gonna ask me tonight!)
I [heart] U Sarah!!!!!!!!! Heath Lou
I can’t get anything from the twitter account )o: mad as all get out and keep having to reboot. Is it because I don’t have twitter?
I am bummed cuz I have no clue what she says about herself on the account. Unless the above is true and not a joke…? o:
I didn’t read the twits–just the report. I’m sure Newt just loves being followed by the Sarah Parody.
Do you think she took mckinely777 because mckinely666 was taken???
Apparently there are religious connoctions to 777.
🙂
Hey, Mods. Enough already. Just let us know what the forbidden words are and I won’t use them/it again. And always remember, timing is the key to humor.
Forbidden words: Yuns, Yous guys and wassup. That’s it.
Hey, I can’t let you know what the words are, cos they won’t appear here! 😉
I’ll email you when I get home and work out what threw you into the spam filter. 😉
i ain’t the mods doing it. it is the spammer thingy. it is set high. if it happens to you again Fan just email [email protected] and let her know.
What do those newly elected GOPers keep saying? Something about how they have the American people’s mandate to do …. whatever? Yeah, right:
“Breaking: New NY Times/CBS poll shows America stands tall with Public Unions over Gov. Scott Walker”
“A new NY Times/CBS poll was just released and the results show Americans strongly support public unions 2-1 over the Koch Brothers-paid stooge, Gov. Scott Walker. (snip)
Americans oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent. While a slim majority of Republicans favored taking away some bargaining rights, they were outnumbered by large majorities of Democrats and independents who said they opposed weakening them. Those surveyed said they opposed, 56 percent to 37 percent, cutting the pay or benefits of public employees to reduce deficits, breaking down along similar party lines. A majority of respondents who have no union members living in their households opposed both cuts in pay or benefits and taking away the collective bargaining rights of public employees.”
http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/new-ny-timescbs-poll-shows-america-stan
It is Pomeranian dog hair brushings from my twining it into trees and shrubs for the birds nests. I’m surprised it made it to Alaska – My how the wind blows!
Thanks AKM and mudpups comments/links (o:
Can’t believe that people would be willing to do this—-pull over on the road/highways. It is bad enough to drive and watch—-front-back and both sides as it is. Don’t think the Highway patrol will allow this to happen—–just collect a lot of fines.
Hopefully anyway
Wonkette are on a roll.
http://wonkette.com/439457/palin-fans-organizing-plan-to-pull-over-side-of-road-to-get-people-in-accidents#more-439457
Two minds! I was just going to post this!
I think they should do it with their boats… pull over, stop and jump out into the water to stop the other boats for an hour……should cool their tempers off pretty well…
I was going to point out that what ever the picture was it was moss, and a Rolling Stone was going to gather none of it. Now I’m not so sure.
For all the times and all the years that many of us have be involved in protests, or civil disobedience or performance art, did anybody plan a demonstration like this, in detail, two weeks in advance? And expect anyone to see spontanity? This is Amateur Hour.
I’m getting the feeling that whoever was supposed to be in charge of Team Palin (herself, Tawd, SarahPAC, C4P. RAM, Kristol, Barnes, Van Flea, the former McCain peeps, even Coulter and Greta, don’t have access anymore to her or her shadow Facebook and Twitter pages. Or herself.
Things don’t seem to be spiriling out of control as much as the air is phssssting out of the balloon so fast you can hear it.
I feel a “Splat!” coming soon.
…and I on the opposite shore shall be,ready to ride and spread the alarm-they’ve jumped the asylum, there causing great harm. My voice will be steady-my horse hath much charm. We pound through the streets of every middle-sex village and farm. I stole this ,such as it is ,from H.W.Longfellow if I remember 6th grade poetry.
remember 6th grade poetry? you are good! i just went into the kitchen and forgot why i was in there.
Oh, no! This is terrible! Think of the budget woes! States will go bankrupt from handing out free toasters to all the highway patrol persons that make their quotas! Donut shops will go bankrupt as they’re passed by as patrol persons feverishly hit the road, vying for the grand prize–the toaster oven!!!!!!!!!
It’s a constitutionalist’s plot! A fiendish ploy to rid the country of fascist communist donuts (sadly, even the Spudnut in Richland, WA) and pave the way for Koch brand small appliances!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My [deity of choice]! I haven’t run into such stupidity since I ran into a bunch of left handers on my college campus rallying for left-handers’ equality. They wanted 10% of the doors on campus to be left-handed. Their rally quickly petered out after I showed them that all doors with knobs are both left and right handed–it depends on which side of the door you’re standing on.
And I quickly decided to attend a more rigorous and selective university! 🙂
I had some dead-serious guys once tell me women in the military had it much easier doing push-ups than they did. Why? Because women were generally shorter (than men) therefore, their arms were shorter; women didn’t have as far to go to get to the ‘up’ *or* ‘down’ portion of the exercise. Seriously! — this was their firm belief and ‘argument’.
No matter how I tried to explain to them why this was not the case (even diagrammed it out!) they were thoroughly convinced it was so. I could not make them understand the concept of proportionality.
Being almost at wit’s end with the yahoos, I finally told them: Not to worry — they really had the advantage! Males being generally taller (than females), their arms were longer. Having longer arms made it *much* easier for them (than it was for the females) to touch their toes in *both* the ‘sit-up; touch-the-toes’ exercise and in the ‘arms-in-the-air; hands-on-the-hips; fingers-touch-the-toes’ exercise! So, even *if* the females had it easier doing push-ups, the guys definitely had it easier doing the other two exercises.
Incredibly, that actually made sense to them! They were mighty happy to know females weren’t getting off easily when it came to doing mandatory exercises; they thanked me –repeatedly– for pointing out to them about the other exercises.
Did I mention all these dead-serious guys had college degrees? Yup, they sure did. Oy! …I could do aught but shake my head. beth.
Makes one really confident in one’s military, doesn’t it! 😀
It’s a lichen of some sort. Lichens are symbiotes of moss and algae. They’re food for many creatures, including reindeer/caribou. I’ve eaten some lichens while hiking, they’re not bad.
As for naming it, how about Carolanne?
Or Myrtle?
Hey! That’s plant identity theft! There is already a plant named Myrtle – and she won’t be lichen this comment (o:
good one Michigander.
You’re right, Myrtle would not be pleased! I chose Carolanne because I’m unaware of any plant/lichen/fungus/algae named Carolanne.
Okay, okay. Don’t want to incur the wrath of Myrtle.
“Palin’s winky, smart-alecky shtick still sells with the carefully chosen, social-conservative audiences to which she speaks for astronomical fees. The numbers don’t lie, however, and the average American voter has obviously concluded that you could walk through Palin’s deepest thoughts and not get your feet wet, that she is basically the Paris Hilton of would-be presidential candidates. ”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/garry-south/sarah-palin-president_b_829323.html
i enjoyed that.
Just looked at obamadiary and there is Nicky haley typing away on her blackberry or something while the President is talking. Quick–get the picture here and over to Huffington post. I don’t know how to do that kind of stuff. She has NO class–unbelievable how rude those republicans can be–and their supports will think it’s just fine–I worry about this country!!!!
I didn’t know that any MOSS had pine cones. I buy moss covered wire baskets for my hanging pots.
Don’t know much about where it comes from, but thought it grew on trees in Georgia.
I do know that it makes the “pots” very heavy, and when it rains, the pots bring the thing down to the ground.
Wonderful! I hated that provision. So glad President Obama’s administration did the compassionate thing.
You have made me feel even better than he is our President (sometimes I get impatient, but this helps a lot.)
er – #38 should be 37.1. I was not paying attention. I should have clicked “reply,” but was so excited by the article that I had to rush to thank OMG for another fantastic link. Sorry.
President Obama caught doing what’s right:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/obama-administration-quietly-guts-bush-era-conscious-clause-for-health-care-workers.php#more
This is very good news. I found the article interesting; there have been conscience clauses in law for over thrity years–the Bush language just expanded them and made them completely fuzzy.
And that was suppsed to be “thirty.” (Forgive me, I’m on hold with AT&T.)
I’m with Mike that it is the lichen commonly called “Witch’s Hair” of the genus Alectoria. Lichens are, by definition, fungi that have developed a symbiotic relationship with algae in what is generally thought to be a mutally beneficial relationship. So yes, it’s also a fungus and an algae. There is a coastal reindeer lichen but this isn’t it.
@AKPetMom – you bet there are jobs for lichenologists!
@Beth – if it was Spanish moss it would not be a native species and that would be problematic.
[[My ramblings about the ‘origins’ of the name: Spanish moss, were made in the vein of T-Baggy/$P ‘information’…totally without a single shred of evidence — let alone fact. b.]]
I still think its fishnet or lace lichen: R. menziesii (see @ 32) Seriously, I do — the range for it, its necessary climate/conditions, its look… beth.
Not having grown up in Alaska,and being totally ignorant, I had to call upon a friend whose expertise is in lichens. And got what sounds like the same-ish answer, but she may think it’s the coastal one? This is what she said-
I’d guess it is an Alectoria, a lichen growing on trees. If the picture is from coastal Alaska, it is probably the common one called witches hair (species sarmentosa). Some notes on it say that black tail deer use it for winter forage, local Amer Indians used it for diapers and bandages and artificial hair on dance masks. Who’d of thought!
Growing up in Southeast, we always called it “Witch’s Hair.” Don’t know what it’s really called though.
I vote for Harriet.
Uh oh. According to Wonkette it looks like $P has a fake Twitter account going by the name of ‘mckinely777’ (note the misspelling). Looks like it was just used to follow her official Twitter account, but funny nonetheless.
http://wonkette.com/439416/sarah-palin-also-has-a-secret-twitter-account-to-follow-herself#more-439416
I said it couldn’t be true if I didn’t know it was her!
Sarah Palin/Charlie Sheen 2012!
I loved this comment: “Sheesh, even Narcissus only looked at one refection of himself at a time. Sarah’s world is like a million funhouse mirrors reflecting vapid nothingness.”
I wonder which is the good vs. the bad Sarah – hmm, methinks she has more than one split in her personality so perhaps many of her “followers” are just aspects of herself.
Bug specks is more apropos. You wasn’t refering to me in your last post,was ya’. I have trouble distinguishing between rill and total non-sense.mPS don’t spare my feelings.okay?
My last post was about the tiger — calling it a gorgeous animal. If that fits, gorgeous Mike, please enjoy! 🙂
LOL
Might the stunningly lovely drape be fishnet lichen or lace lichen (R. menziesii)? beth.
———————
[snip] “R. menziesii’s range runs along the Pacific Coast from southeast Alaska south to Baja California in Mexico, and extends only as far west as the Cascades, beyond which it is not found … It grows between sea level and 3500 feet in elevation. […]
“No specific information is available regarding temperature and frost/precipitation ranges, but, as mentioned earlier, Ramalina menziesii is most prevalent on damp, coastal facing slopes, and is often absent from notably drier areas within its range (Hale and Cole 1988). The fact that it only occurs on the west coast of North America suggests a preference for a fairly temperate climate, and its restriction to coastal areas speaks to a need for periodic moisture as opposed to a continuously dry climate. [/snip].
Photos and ‘bio’ of fishnet/lace lichen –and above info– here: http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall%2003%20project/R.menziesii.htm
Several species are named to honor the botanist Archibald Menzies, as he accompanied Royal Navy captain George Vancouver as naturalist on his exploratory voyages, it is likely that they would all be coastal.
Unrelated, I think it is more likely that shyster came into American English from Yiddish, which is a German dialect, than directly from German.
We always called it reindeer moss. Cause that’s what dad called it, where he got that name?
Isn’t it Old Man’s Beard? That grows all over the old spruce in my neighborhood in SE Alaska. But that is a hemlock. . .
love the lichen/moss plant. thanks AKM:
i found something gorgeous to share. i never have seen a tiger like this.
http://funnypagenet.com/unusual-golden-tiger/
Bubbles,you gave me a G-mail address a couple of days ago and I don’t have G-Mail. Sorry. What did I miss?
i was tryin’ to heart you.
i am an idiot.
Absolutely gorgeous animal!
I want one!
Tigers are beautiful generally, but that is quite extraordinarily wonderful. Thank you, bubbles.
How about another gorgeous and rare critter? The Spirit Bear of British Columbia.
http://bcspiritbear.com/
Thanks for sharing that Bubbles! Wow….what a magnificent and beautiful tiger.
gas drilling on East coast is a major water polluter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/us/27gas.html?_r=1&hp
… “internal (USEPA) documents… show that many E.P.A. scientists are
alarmed, warning that the drilling waste is a threat to drinking water
in Pennsylvania. Their concern is based partly on a 2009 study, never
made public, written by an E.P.A. consultant who concluded that some
sewage treatment plants were incapable of removing certain drilling
waste contaminants and were probably violating the law.”
You’d think we could get a couple of things right – clean air and clean water – wouldn’t you? Oh, no, that if it means we might lose a couple of jobs and a lot of loot for the polluters. Gees.
‘Interesting’ little tidbit following the ‘famous’ ACORN video:
http://juanitajean.com/2011/02/27/hard-hearted-hannah/
Great article giving background to the “sidewalk princess” (I always learn new vocabulary here at mudflats :)). Figures her granny would have big bucks, a churchy-mantle, and little concern for anyone else.
Sure gives new meaning to “ho, ho, ho.” My poor tea cup almost tipped over the keyboard as I read the following from the entry:
“Here’s a clue for life: if what you’re about to do is going to require a legal defense fund and thigh high leather boots, don’t do it. It’s probably not a good idea.”
I think I may be visiting Jaunita Jean Herownself’s (the alter-ego and beautician extraordinaire and political maven of the blogger in Richmond, TX where “it’s nuttier than squirrel poop”) often if this post is any indication of what I will find when I visit.
Thanks for the link. It was indeed interesting and a hoot to boot (sorry, was born just a few blocks from TX and sometimes these phrases just pop out — must be some sort of birth defect).
I liked hearing that the ‘sidewalk princess’ threw O’Keefe under the bus, even though he might wiggle out again. I’ve been ticked off ever since he got away from the phone fiasco in the congresswoman (?)’s office with not even a good slap on the wrist, while the young man who broke into that woman’s email account got a year in jail.
Agreed. No one ever said “justice” was fair.
Tulia, Texas 2000
good one Dowl.
Vycan, I just dipped into the February archives and read one more posting at JuanitaJean’s – OMG, you have me hooked. There goes another few minutes to the internet powers-that-be (my poor stack of dishes really do need to be washed, but . . . .).
The post that did it was about the AZ state senator who was able to walk away from a fight with his girlfriend scott-free while she went to jail (because he has immunity from arrest – WTF?) and ends with the following:
“Republican men – they’re gonna whack ya one way or the other.”
My goodness, I am going to enjoy scanning through that site. The woman who writes (excuse me, types it for the imaginary JuanitaJean) has a great zing to her style that will keep me coming back to read more.
So you have the dishes ‘problem’ too, eh? I’ve decided on the theory that if I’m feeling relaxed and happy when I FINALLY get to the dishes, they’ll get done faster. Glad you had a good laugh, KS. Most of her entries feature Texas, but she does have a great sense of humour and staunch Democratic views. She also has a mother in the background whose presence ‘tempers’ the language ;).
I am just beside myself with Ike. These nutters really are too stupid to live successfully without full-time professional help.They can’t do it. My dictionary would run out of words and ways to describe these dimdots before they will run out of ways to boggle my mind. Lovely article. Thank you.
Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin:
http://www.ginandtacos.com/2011/02/28/self-preservation-enters-the-building/
“Police are not exactly a profession that one associates with anti-government protests, obviously, and moreover some police organizations actually endorsed Walker just a few short months ago (N.B.: the media’s allusion to “the police” endorsing him is incorrect – of over 300 police labor organizations in the state, four of them did). Well, I guess they’re un-endorsing him now.
For once and once only I am going to assume that the correct answer is “Cops are not idiots.”
I’ve written at length before on the progression of inter-class victim-blaming in this country since 1980. First they convinced the blue collars to scapegoat the Welfare Queens. Then the suburbanites scapegoated the blue collars and their cushy union factory jobs (hence NAFTA). Then the suburbanites started to cannibalize themselves: first the greedy retirees with their sweet benefits were redefined as Leeches, and now it’s the teachers and public sector workforce. While Americans in general have failed to notice how this game of “Find a new scapegoat every 3 years until there’s no one left with benefits or a salary over $10/hr ” has progressed methodically for several decades, the cops appear to have no illusions about what is happening. They are waking up to reality: “They’re going to come for us next.”
And the real tragedy is that we have not given a counter to this victim blaming. Are we going to wake up.
Good comment.
Did you read the article that Scout posted at comment #22. It takes your points and puts them on raging steroids. I enjoyed reading both the article and your comment.
You are right they can see what is coming. Walker will leave the dirty work to the counties and cities while he makes his cuts to them to force them into compliance.
“First, let’s stipulate that the New York Times scoop last week about Fox News chairman Roger Ailes allegedly urging an employee to lie to federal prosecutors is a real jaw-dropper. The report, based on uncovered legal filings, not only has the media world stunned but it has loyalists who orbit the Fox News world utterly dumbstruck by the revelation. ”
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201102280008
I would hope that something would happen to Ailes and to Fox but I won’t hold my breath. Ailes has been making Murdoch piles of money and until that changes, Murdoch will turn a blind eye to anything he does.
I join you in that hope.
er – meaning that the “something will happen to” means legal trouble and perhaps removal from their positions of power.
Let’s be more specific. How about an indictment for conspiracy to obstruct justice? Felony with some serious prison time if convicted.
Chances are it won’t happen. Ob ie’s Justice Dep’t doesn’t have the stomach for it,I am afraid. Shoe on the other foot and Nutters would be coming apart at the seams thinking some lib was aout to torch Independence Hall. IMHO.
Take a look at the complexities of Pakistani relations:
http://politico-junkie.blogspot.com/2011/02/japan-us-and-delicate-balancing-of.html
Then watch and listen to how Sarah Palin would dill with the situation:
http://www.yehhailife.com/2011/02/24/sarah-palin-on-india-pakistan-afghanistan/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+yehhailife%2FpvdY+%28Yeh+Hai+Life.+India.+With+Attitude.%29
Is there a transcript somewhere? I really have a hard time watching and listening to her.
There isn’t an official transcript but you only need a few seconds to hear her nonsensical non-answers that shows just how naive she is on the matter.
I think every time anyone anywhere shows a clip of Palin speaking they ought to dub over her voice with the Chalrlie Brown teacher voice, “bwawawawawwawwaawaaa.” It’d make her look so much smarter, and it’d make so much more sence!
Good idea!
OMG, you always find the greatest links on Sarah and the GOP. Thanks!
I agree with the other comments – listening to her is so difficult, its nigh onto impossible, but one has to do what one has to do. sigh.
My new work page. Please visit and click LIKE! Thanks puppies 🙂
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paula-J-Cochran/153024214751872?v=wall&ref=ts
Glad to…and did.
Thanks 🙂
Ditto.
Tried to, but not a FB member yet. Wish the thought counted, sigh.
Same here, not a FB member, but I tried!
Hey,hey Paula. Quit FB awhile back. I did go and click like on your page. You probably won’t get invited to Royal Wedding because of it.
LOL!
That’s very good..! I can tell you are an old rock and roller… ‘Hey, hey Paula..’
Paula, you are a gifted writer. I did click on several of the articles listed on your FB page. I recommend other mudpups to do the same. You must enjoy the diversity of subjects you get to immerse yourself in to do the articles. I am going to list just a few by way of questions or comments to whet everyone’s appetite to explore your writing. I hope you won’t mind. I believe readers here will enjoy what they find.
Was that your article about Davy Jones of the Monkees? Nice to know he’s happy and well and enjoying horses.His new wife, well, that was an eyebrow raiser if you remember him in the sitcom.
The underage drinking bill excepting certain minors was very interesting. I did like the impulse behind the desire to change the law, but did it pass? I could see how many would against it, though.
I think any of us would be pleased if our obituary has to be written that you would be the one to write it. You did that creative soul much honor. I was both smiling and teary-eyed by the end of that one. That said, let’s hope you don’t have the opportunity to do that for any of us any time soon, talented though you are.
Then there are the scholarly articles and professional awards, as some of my husband’s students would say, “Girl, you’ve got it going on.” Very impressive – of course, being part of the mudflat community is also a highlight (particularly for us).
I might not have been allowed to click “Like,” but I wanted to show you I did like what I saw there and I know others will as well. Best wishes.
Thank you, truely appreciated 🙂
After I wrote the article Davy and his wife prompty moved to Florida to the city and the night life his young wife loves.
I no longer write the “obits,” a special feature that was called “Passings,” a little piece I’d do on avergae folks who would otherwise maybe not get a special article about them (like someone well known might).
Crossing fingers for more awards this year ! XXXXX
saved it to my favorites so when I have more time can look at it more very Impressive
Very nice! And I did, too.
The Sole Remaining Stupidpower in the World
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/02/28-3
That was great rant. Except for calling President Obama a mostly inappropriate name (yes, sometimes I do feel he waffles a bit much, but overall I think the President has done more to help the middle class than anyone else in the past several years – oh, say, 10 to 20 – particularly considering what he is up against). That said, this article really was cathartic Professor Green expressed a lot of what I’ve been feeling of late. Thanks for the great read!
Agreed, Sunflower, our President was handed pandemonium of epic proportion. Grab a mop and help. Or have a Koch-tea tantrum and we’ll all eventually beg for scraps from their table.
I feel the same way. Great rant but didn’t like the name calling.
AKM, two of your last three sentences are particularly telling of one problem with our Great Nation.
In order for our Nation to grow and prosper,we need a distinctly different and much cleaner atmosphere than present.
UH OH…it looks like Palin isn’t safe after all. Sure she’s already got the name recognition and she endorsed all those politicians so they owe her, so basically she owns them. But now at least one of them has the gall to require her to work for their endorsement?! How unfair is that?! I guess that they don’t know who they’re tangling with–or do they?
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/146341-sc-governor-i-dont-owe-palin-an-endorsement
Well, there goes that budding friendship. Mention work, and SP is out the door.
Comments on that one are pretty funny too. Speshully the mute point.
Living near, SoCal, I can spot a celebrity a mile away.
It’s the Lichen Formerly Known As Prince.
Thanks for the smile, baker’s dozen!
The clue that this is a species of lichen is it dies when there is polution present. There are many species of lichen which look almost identical and mosses which look like lichens as well. More pictures and perhaps some close ups would help with identification. In Alaska it is most likely an alectoria species, perhaps alectoria sarmentosa (common name Witches Hair and yes deers eat it). It could also be a species of usnea of which there are 14 in Alaska. It is impossible to be certain from the picture.
It looks like a species of usnea to me, too. You can tell by pulling a strand apart – if there’s a stretchy white cord in the middle of the strand (like elastic) it is usnea, and really useful medicine, externally and internally.
Does your moss change in spring?
High up near Banff the old growth firs have a lot of black “moss”, even on completely dead trees where it looks like something out of Tolkein. Mostly it’s dead and black, but each year’s new growth is brilliant neon yellow. Locals call it “spanish moss”, I know it as “witches hair”.
In survival class, I was taught that however damp the forest may be, a wad of that black hair can be used as tinder, so I should appreciate it.
There’s not much pollution there, cold, though.
Um, I just typoed ‘completely deaf trees’- and immediately rejected the concept. Of course they can hear each other. So there is no such thing as a silenty falling tree– just human hubris.
I just watched a historical clip about Todd’s race posted over at Gryphen’s. Hmmm she’s not wearing glasses. Maybe there is something to the rumor that she only wears them now to look smart.
You mean if I wear glasses, I’ll get smart?
In a pig’s eye. You don’t need glasses. You need a title worthy of your insightfulness.
You might LOOK “smart” but you wouldn’t GET smart or BE smart. And, anyway, I think WGE thinks “smart” means “fashionable,” not “intelligent.” It smarts to even think about it [the WGE].
OMG- I noticed that too. And Todd was caught cheating in the 2007 IronDog race. They make a perfect couple.
That lichen is a common one, one of the Usnea group. It has a lot of common names, probably the most widespread being “Old Man’s Beard”.
In times when the lack of polluted air allowed it to be common in so many places it was sometimes used to dye wool or silk threads, yielding an insipid (my own description; I suppose one could say “pale”….) yellow-green.
Tomasky Talk: The Wisconsin union battle, the federal budget and the travails of Lou Sarah – video
Michael Tomasky reviews last week’s US political stories – from Governor Scott Walker’s bill to a mysterious Facebook account involving she who may not be named
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/michaeltomasky/video/2011/feb/28/wisconsin-scott-walker-lou-sarah
Irish Girl – thanks for the link. I like this guy!
I like the Guardian!! I have several friends who work for the Guardian in London who are waiting with bated breath for Snowball Snooki’s trip to see Maggie Thacher. They can’t wait to treat her to some British snark!
The antithesis of beauty is Ascott Walker. The heads of the WI Assembly and Senate are brothers. Ascott just appointed their father as head of the WI State Police (not the Madison Capitol Police) to a $105,000 a year job. This is despite the fact that he lost a recent election for a lesser law enforcement position by a 2 to 1 margin.
Tin soldiers and Walker coming. We’re finally on or own! Martial law coming soon to WI?
There is more at stake in the WI than just the “budget” bill and the attack on collective bargaining.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/26/report-top-10-disastrous-policies-from-the-wisconsin-gop-you-havent-heard-about/
These people even want to get rid of safe drinking water. Talk about turning us 3rd world.
read, liked, shared on facebook. i will also blog it. this is an important article. the governor of wisconsin has apparently gone completely mad on power.
Don’t suppose they’ll ever have a conflict of interest, Just ignore it and it will be gone before you know it.
Why hasn’t this monster been recalled?
Has to be governor for a year before he can be recalled,He sure is pushing the button.The public employees and the unions have given Walker what he asked for in cuts and paying into their pensions but he still is going after the unions.In a lot of the stories they leave out the fact that they already said they were ok with the cuts and paying for their pensions and more for insurance payments.Just goes to show Walker is out for more than what he claims.Wasn’t that long ago that the oil companies wanted to drill in our great lakes.
Walkers remids me to put this up. When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.” Sinclair Lewis, 1935 –Talk of foresight–
Thank you so much on showing the many beautiful things and places you have in Alaska. It outshines the ugliness of SP. Thanks again AKM.
The nice thing about lichen is that it is like the canary in the coal mine. Lichen thrives in a pollution free atmosphere, so where the picture was taken must have clean, healthy air. Thanks for the pretty picture.
Will Durst on Palin.
“She’s like the Republican herpes, she erupts every two weeks or so,” Durst said. “If there weren’t a Sarah Palin, we would’ve invented her. For those of us going cold turkey on Bush, she’s like a double dose of methadone.” 🙂
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17484353?nclick_check=1
What’s up with the Irish Gov’t? Sounds like more trouble. Have they banned wearin”o’ the Green again? I remember that from a song in grade school back in the early 60’s or earlier. Peace.
We voted out the last crowd of shysters and voted in a new crowd of shysters! 🙂
I,for one, appreciate your honesty and forthrightness. Sounds like America.
Hello, dear friend…
Agree about the exchange of louts over there but would like you to look up the word you used to describe them . It’s used here in the states in a rather biased manner.
I wasn’t referring to the German definition. 😉
It’s always good to get new shysters once in a while, Irishgirl.
Too funny.
Interesting. My family used to use this word but it didn’t have any ethnic implication. At least that I understood. Looked it up in urban dictionary and it doesn’t get the ethnic connection until the 5th definition. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shyster
Interesting how a single word for a “demon” can become associated with another perceived enemy.
being married to the son of a holocaust survivor and one who happens to be an attorney makes me a bit sensitive to the word, no matter the origins.
defininately one of those words that provokes a bit of reaction in this mudpuppy and in mudspouse….he of gentle nature and soft smile.
we all have our “riled up” points…i happen to be “blonde” in appearance and droll my words with a texas accent. it gets a bit tiring to be mistaken for dumb and dumber. :;
and, darn it all, i still can’t get those cute little smiley face thingies to work for me.
one more try here:
: ;
“drawl” (not “droll”) … as long as we’re discussing semantics 🙂
for some reason i can’t respond to lee below…where’s the reply button.
i do have trouble with words sometimes (brain injury and such) but in this case i could have come off as droll while using my drawl, right?
😉
Apologies Fawnskin and Mr. Fawnskin. I was actually unaware of the ethnic connection until A Fan in CA posted the link above. You know I would never knowingly insult your lovely hubby. I was of course referring to the feckers here in Ireland who have left the citizens of Ireland with 380 billion euros of banking debt. It tends to make me a little angry.
I made a similar mistake a few months ago when I called Palin a tw*t. (Not twit). I also referred to Americans as Yanks one time which drew a chorus of disapproval.
This cultural misunderstanding tends to get me into a boatload of trouble.
Hugs to you and hubby and I hope that I’m forgiven.
Growing up in my part of South GA, it was used a slam on attorneys but didn’t realize the origins of that word. I have now banned it from my vocabulary.:)
Irishgirl, you and Fawnskin helped me learn something important today. I want to thank you both.
It helps that I already know Fawnskin personally–she is sweet, gracious, kind, thoughtful, and loving in the most extraordinary ways. Apparently, your conversation began when she confused a word in her writings, using droll instead of drawl, while attempting to point out a painful word that you had used earlier, completely by accident.
For the record:
I, too, didn’t realize that “s******” is an EXTREMELY derogatory term used to describe unprincipled attorneys, esp. of the Jewish persuasion. I know now that it falls into the category of slurs such as the n word and other hatefulness. I think our friend Fawnskin was just trying to let us know that we shouldn’t carelessly throw it around. In fact, I realize now that we would do much better to understand its background and never use it.
Knowledge is power. If we know something is unkind, then I believe that most mudpuppies will probably want to avoid saying such things. My thanks to both you and Fawnskin for helping me learn these things today about the volatility of this slur. I plan to remember what I learned here.
as usual a learning event is shared amongst the mudpuppies.
agreed that words do matter.
(huge giant sized hugs to irishgirl and elsie…i only wish that the day comes when i see the two of you together. OMG)
I love these learning curves. This is why I love Mudflats.
OK..that’s funny!
[Ann] Coulter Says Sarah Palin Seeks Money, Not Office of President
“I think she’s saying that (she might run) because she also said Newt Gingrich told her you can get higher speaking fees if you pretend you are running for President,” Coulter told Hannity.
“But she is so huge right now. She has so much power. She sends out a twitter on death panels and she shuts down the health care debate. I think it would be a step down for her to run for president. I think Sarah Palin should keep doing what she’s doing. And I don’t think she’s going to run.”
Instead, Coutler seems to believe, Palin will continue to seek extra money by being deceitful about her prospects of running…..http://goo.gl/0iHgX
What America doesn’t need. A talking Afghan Hound and reprobate from Fixed Non-Sense.
“Sarah Palin’s popularity has declined among the very voters the former Alaska governor would need to impress first were she to seek the 2012 Republican nomination for president, The Des Moines Register’s new Iowa Poll shows.”
……….
“I’ve never been a Sarah Palin fan,” said Smith, a retired industrial mechanic who supported former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the 2008 Republican caucuses. “There’s just something about her I don’t like.”
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110228/NEWS09/102280302/0/SPORTS0812/?odyssey=nav|head
Don’t know what it is, but it’s lovely.
Speaking of lovely, I thought that Charles Ferguson’s Oscar Acceptance Speech was just lovely, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpz5DVwnbnk
I liked the clip just before the commercial were they showed Goldman Sachs admitting to Congress that they sold “cr*p” to investors.
Here is a good interview with Ferguson. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-kors/oscar-nominee-charles-fer_b_828735.html
In CA our biggest public pension fund recently filed suit over the fraud that cost them 100 Billion. Hope more pension funds also sue these thieves for their misdeeds.
We see that alot here in Iowa. In fact it is really quite common. Around here we call the stuff PalMilVanKowski PISD, Medusa Hair in deferrence to our ‘Pup brothers and sisters.The conifer is optional. I don’t recommend this as feed for domestic stock. It gives our groundhogs gas.
For some reason, the very idea of little groundhog pharts, just chuckles the heck out of me! Thanks for the giggle, mike. beth.
Man, that must be powerful stuff, or you are really close to brother groundhog!
Got a nice one under my porch,thanks for asking.(true)
Hehehe
Spanish moss is what we find in the trees around here, but that can’t be what you have there because ours thrives despite questionable air quality.
Our community Read Across America celebration was a huge success yesterday. Here’s hoping our Rally for Public Education and Public Workers will be well attended this evening!
For a look at what Arts in Education can be, check out the Chorus from PS 22. I heard about them on public radio on Saturday; they were scheduled to perform for the Oscars last night, but I didn’t watch.
I spent a good hour watching PS 22 youtube videos instead. 🙂
Let There Be Peace on Earth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4ubAh9TLko&feature=related
Imagine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJNWs52d-08&feature=related
L’Shalom,
thatcrowwoman
adding a couple more from PS 22…split them up so as not to get stuck in the filters.
VIVA LA VIDA by Coldplay acoustic guitar version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXbooOjq5Pw&feature=related
Landslide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2p5augniQA
PS22 Chorus “RUN THIS TOWN” Jay-Z Rihanna & Kanye West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-upCBD3h9E&feature=related
Gives me hope that these young folks will one day “Run This Town!”
Good Morning. Why would anyone want peace on earth when so few make so much and keeps the economy smoking for so few?It also keeps so many in turmoil. Why is it when I get requests for contributions for things I truly believe in,there is never an address for personal checks of money orders so I can’t contribute money. I’d be useless for a solidarity match,as I can barely walk. I want to help. I re-routed a donation about two weeks ago for lack of an address.
Thank you so much TCW – listening was like receiving mini blessings! I marked three of them and plan to send them to my offspring once I sign off the mudflats. 🙂
LOVE this group.
I sooo wish we had a music teacher in my school that has the spirit and energy of theirs. What a great example of positive things coming from a NYC school…don’t often see the good stuff!
That is some beautiful stuff whatever it turns out to be. I must confess I do like Beth’s idea of herds of dust bunnies lazily draping themselves on the branches of trees.
I’m off to work. Have a good day all.
Will Durst sends Sarah Palin ‘Where the Rogue Things Go’
“Creative and entertaining, the book begins with Sarah’s early episodes of bad behavior — from her failings at higher education to her practicing of witch doctor religion. It retells the time when she seemed doomed to suffer the political version of being sent to bed without dinner for her abuse of power as governor of Alaska, but instead finds herself transported (almost as if on a magic boat) onto the national political stage as the 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate.
This cautionary tale continues Sarah’s story into a tragic future where now President Palin and the Rogue Things go on an unconstrained rampage of extreme conservatism that sends America’s economy, environment, and culture back to the dark days of the Bush/Cheney years. With childlike clarity and colorful artwork, ‘Where the Rogue Things Go’ offers a smart rebuke to Palin’s lipstick-on-a-pit-bull rebranding of failed right wing policies.”
http://www.amazon.com/Where-Rogue-Things-Political-Fairytale/dp/1569758492
I just put this soon-to-be released book on my amazon WishList. Sounds like fun!
Oops, forgive me. I forgot to thank you, gens, for the heads-up on the book: Thanks!
Beauty needs no name.
I’ve heard it called “Maidenhair Moss” also, but not totally sure if this is one and the same. But it is beautiful and adds a gauzy, lovely softness to the branches.
Looks like Spanish moss, to me. Don’t need no books or pictures from a fancy-dancy camera or scientificy stuff, telling me otherwise. It’s Spanish moss. As its name plainly states: it originally came to this continent from Spain (hence the “Spanish”) and it is not lichen (otherwise it would be “Spanish Lichen,” wouldn’t it?), it is moss. Yup, it’s Spanish moss. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
It’s either that, or a herd or two of the particularily ‘stringy’ dust bunnies that stealthily clump around my house’s nooks and crannies, have gotten loose and have made their way up to the UA campus where they’ve draped theirselves –casually– in the trees. They’re on the campus, incognito. You betcha. beth.
Nope, not Spanish moss, but don’t know what it is.
LOL! Well, TW, since you don’t know what it is I’m going to go with Beth’s choice because I like her logic. If it was ‘Spanish Lichen’ they would have called it that, wouldn’t they? 🙂
Happy Monday morning to everyone!
Other than Spanish moss is native to the coastal southern US, is not moss but a perennial epiphytic herb, and can’t survive at temps below 27-degrees F., I don’t see why it can’t be, tigerwine. As I said, all them books and scientificy stuff and photos to the contrary… 😉
So, it’s not Spanish moss…must be rogue –possibly rouge– herds of stringy dust bunnies from my house, then. beth.
Spoken like a true politician, Beth!
(By the way, it does look like what I fished out from under the bed not long ago)
Good Evening CST. I first heard of epiphytic in the CLASSIC movie-“IN the Heat Of the Night” with Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. Mr Tibbs was with Chief Gillespie in a Mr Endicott’s green house and Tibbs and Endicott were talking about a certain flower(I forget which) and Tibbs said he liked that particular type of flower and Endicott thought it was a mazing that Tibbs chose an epiphytic. That was also the last time I have heard the word used until today. I love that movie. Thanks for left-handed reminder. I have the collector’s edition,compliments of my one and only daughter-in-law Kristie. Say hi to Kristie,Pups. She has an angels face with a potty-mouth. Sorry if I ramble on.
I found this website in my garden bookmarks and this guy has awesome photos of the moss and lichen covered landscapes of the Northwest, including Canada and Alaska. He also has a page specific to lichens.
http://www.sharnoffphotos.com/lichensNH/scenics_far_north.html
Click the link at the bottom right for his lichen page.
It’s a very large intense database of lichens with photography attached. Yep, it could take a lot of time to identify what you have but I have a feeling it’s the one photographed as the header in the first category, it is identified as Alectoria sarmentosa and there are multiple photos in that part of the database.
All of the photos from both his main page and the lichen page are nice. I’ve found this page to a very useful taxonomic tool. When I came back from a trip to the Seattle area last year I had at least 500 photos of various locations, many of them were macros of various mosses and lichens. I found this person’s webpage to be very helpful in identifying some of those.
Just what everyone needs, a new hobby! Wonder if there are paying jobs for “lichenologists” 🙂
AKPetMom, thank you so very much for a fantastic link! I’ve just spent more time than I should at this time of day exploring Sharnoff’s site. It is entrancing. I thought the lichen photographs to be gorgeous, but quickly realized there is so much more to see, from the cemeteries of Paris, intentional travel, wildlife, to the impact of man upon nature and the interaction of man and nature. Gosh, I hope to have a couple of hours set aside soon to really absorb this wonderful site! I just sent the link to our daughter because I know it will provide moments of beauty and reflection in her harried graduate student days.
I once again find myself in awe of mudflat readers. Aside from insightful and lively political discussions, the breath and depth of the interests and lives of the people who gather here is astounding! I often consider that if one were only limited to five basic websites (with the option to web-out from any of them), this would certainly be one of my five because of the way people here enrich my life. Wow!
Very good photography but it would be nice if the site had a somewhat more systematic overview of what lichens are and how they are classified. My understanding is they are a symbiotic organism comprised of a bacterium and a fungus. The two compliment each other by being able to adjust to conditions that undergo radical change.They are “primitive” in the sense that they closely resemble ancient ancestors. But we should bear in mind that every living lichen is contemprary to us.
It is interesting to contemplate what role they play in our ecosystem. They seem so innocuous and inconsequential, yet how can we imagine that they are? The simple fact that they exist means that they are a part of this huge mind boggling machine we call life.For all we know they might be the rebar in the foundations.
I’m no biologist but I seem to recall that the lichens are not all that closely related to the mosses when you get down to it. Could be wrong. Many fine photographs though.
I have to correct myself, they might be a symbiosis of an algae, and a fungus according to wikipedia. No bacteria involved. Sorry.
Looks like what is commonly called “Witch’s Hair Lichen” (there are many varieties). A look-alike, “Beard Lichen” has a central cord/strand with perpendicular side branches, which I don’t see in your photo.
When I grew up in Juneau, we called it Goat’s Beard and were told it was a fungus.
This is a picture of Alectoria sarmentosa (also called witches hair lichen), a filamentous green lichen. Lichens are symbiotic organisms that always have a fungal component, and have either a green algal component or cyanobacterium component, and occasionally both. The algae and cyanobacteria are photosynthetic, which is how the lichen produces energy. Similiar looking brown material isn’t dead Alectoria, its a lichens in the genus Bryoria (horsehair or bear hair lichens). We have only two tree-dwelling Alectoria in Southeast Alaska, and somewhere between 15 and 20 species of Bryoria (which are really hard to tell apart). Dead Alectoria retains some of its pale greenish color, mottled with brown–Bryoria look like scraggly pale brown to dark brown/almost black hair. We’re lucky to have such great air quality in SE, and a lush and varied lichen community as a result!
So glad you found the Sharnoff’s “Lichens of North America” website!! The photos are awesome, many were taken in Southeast when Sharnoffs were here in the early ’90s. “Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest” v. 2 (McCune & Geiser) is a good regional field guide, with lots of Sharnoff photos, many from SE. “Lichens around Mendenhall Glacier” (Derr & Armstrong) provides introductory material and picture keys for the layperson, and is useful throughout SE and beyond.
Have fun lichenizing!
Name that lichen? Okay, it’s Bob.
Sounds like a good name to me! 🙂