List of lichens of Soldiers Delight facts for kids

Lichens are amazing living things found in the Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area. This special nature reserve is located in Baltimore County, Maryland. Lichens are not just one plant; they are a partnership between a fungus and a tiny algae or cyanobacteria. They come in many shapes, colors, and sizes, and they can grow on rocks, trees, and even soil!

Trunk of oak covered with lichens: Flavoparmelia caperata and Punctelia rudecta. (Photographed at Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area).

Acarospora fuscata

Anaptychia palmulata (lobes)

Anaptychia palmulata (lobed apothecium)

Caloplaca feracissima

Caloplaca flavovirescens

Candelariella vitellina

Cladonia apodocarpa

Cladonia caespiticia

Cladonia caespiticia (apothecia)

Cladonia coniocraea

Cladonia cristatella

Cladonia grayi complex

Cladonia grayi complex (proliferating)

Cladonia macilenta var. bacillaris

Cladonia parasitica

Cladonia peziziformis

Cladonia pleurota

Cladonia subcariosa (Syns.: C. sobolescens, C. calvulifera)

Cladonia subtenuis

Cladonia subtenuis (dichotomous branching)

Flavoparmelia baltimorensis

Flavoparmelia caperata

Graphis scripta (lirellae)

Imshaugia aleurites

Imshaugia placorodia

Lecanora strobilina

Lecidella carpathica

Lecidella carpathica (sections of apothecium; upper untreated; lower treated with KOH: note the orange hypothecium)

Lecidella stigmatea

Lecidella stigmatea (ascus treated with Lugol's soln. - Lecanora-type ascus)

Lepraria lobificans

Lepraria lobificans (yellow KOH spot test)

Myelochroa aurulenta

Parmelia sulcata

Parmotrema hypotropum

Pertusaria paratuberculifera (2 verrucae)

Pertusaria paratuberculifera (8 spores per ascus)

Phaeophyscia pusilloides

Phaeophyscia rubropulchra (note red medulla)

Physcia millegrana

Physcia millegrana (apothecia)

Porpidia albocaerulescens

Punctelia rudecta

Punctelia subrudecta

Pycnothelia papillaria (adult podetia)

Pycnothelia papillaria (juvenile podetia)

Sarcogyne regularis (parasitized)

Sarcogyne regularis (section of apothecium; reddish part parasitized, hyaline normal)

Tuckermannopsis ciliaris

Verrucaria nigrescens

Verrucaria nigrescens (perithecium)

Xanthoparmelia plittii

About Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area

The Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area (Soldiers Delight NEA) is a special place covering about 1,900 acres (769 ha) of land. The state of Maryland owns it, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources takes care of it.

This area has two main types of natural spaces:

• Serpentine barrens: These are open, rocky areas with unique soil.
• Upland forests: These are wooded areas on higher ground.

Long ago, people mined a mineral called Chromite at Soldiers Delight NEA until 1860. You can still see some old mine shafts today. The area also has four marked trails, which are popular for hiking with friends or even dogs!

One of the most amazing things about Soldiers Delight NEA is its rare and endangered plants. These special plants grow in the serpentine barrens. Some examples include the sandplain gerardia, serpentine aster, flameflower, and fringed gentian.

Studying Lichens at Soldiers Delight NEA

The study of lichens, called Lichenology, began at Soldiers Delight NEA in 1976. Researchers Allen C. Skorepa, Arnold Norden, and Donald Windler received a grant to study lichens all over Maryland. Soldiers Delight was one of the places they explored.

In 1977, they shared their findings. Even though they found many types of lichens at Soldiers Delight, they only recorded one location for each species in their report. This means that while the area was rich in lichens, only a few were officially noted in their publication from this specific spot.

Another person interested in lichens was Dr. Elmer G. Worthley from Baltimore County. He collected lichens across Maryland and New England, but Soldiers Delight was one of his favorite spots.

The lichens collected by Skorepa, Norden, and Windler are kept at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Elmer Worthley's lichen collection was sent to the Lichen Herbarium at the New York Botanical Garden in 2001. A herbarium is like a library for dried plant and fungus specimens, used for scientific study.

Lichens Found at Soldiers Delight

Here is a list of some of the fascinating lichen species that have been found in the Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area:

• Acarospora fuscata
• Acarospora schleicheri
• Anaptychia palmulata
• Aspicilia cinerea
• Bacidia schweinitzii
• Buellia spuria
• Caloplaca citrina
• Caloplaca feracissima
• Caloplaca flavovirescens
• Caloplaca lobulata
• Caloplaca sideritis
• Candelaria concolor
• Candelariella vitellina
• Catapyrenium cinereum
• Circinaria caesiocinerea
• Cladonia apodocarp
• Cladonia arbuscula
• Cladonia atlantica
• Cladonia boryi (likely a mistaken identification)
• Cladonia caespiticia
• Cladonia cariosa
• Cladonia caroliniana
• Cladonia chlorophaea
• Cladonia ciliata var. tenuis (a mistaken identification)
• Cladonia coccifera (a mistaken identification, actually a form of Cladonia cristatella)
• Cladonia coniocraea
• Cladonia cristatella (also known as British Soldiers)
• Cladonia gracilis subsp. gracilis
• Cladonia grayi
• Cladonia macilenta var. bacillaris
• Cladonia parasitica
• Cladonia peziziformis
• Cladonia pleurota
• Cladonia rei
• Cladonia squamosa
• Cladonia subcariosa (also known as Cladonia sobolescens or Cladonia clavulifera)
• Cladonia subtenuis
• Cladonia uncialis
• Dibaeis baeomyces
• Flavoparmelia baltimorensis
• Flavoparmelia caperata
• Hypocenomyce scalaris
• Imshaugia aleurites
• Imshaugia placorodia
• Lecanora caesiorubella
• Lecanora expallens
• Lecanora strobilina
• Lecidella carpathica
• Lecidella stigmatea
• Lepraria lobificans
• Lepraria neglecta
• Myelochroa aurulenta
• Parmelia sulcata
• Parmelinopsis minarum
• Parmotrema hypotropum
• Pertusaria paratuberculilfera
• Phaeophyscia pusilloides
• Phaeophyscia rubropulchra
• Physcia adscendens
• Physcia aipolia
• Physcia millegrana
• Physcia subtilis
• Physconia detersa
• Placidium lacneum
• Porpidia albocaerulescens
• Porpidia crustulata or Porpidia macrocarpa
• Psorula rufonigra
• Punctelia rudecta
• Punctelia subrudecta
• Pycnothelia papillaria
• Pyxine sorediata
• Rimelia reticulata
• Tuckermanella fendleri
• Tuckermannopsis ciliaris
• Verrucaria nigrescens
• Xanthoparmelia conspersa
• Xanthoparmelia plittii
• Xanthoparmelia stenophylla (also known as Xanthoparmelia somloënsis)

See also

• List of lichens of Maryland
• List of ferns and fern allies of Soldiers Delight
• List of graminoids of Soldiers Delight
• List of woody plants of Soldiers Delight
• List of wildflowers of Soldiers Delight