Lichen Field Notes

This section is a working field notebook focused on the observation and identification of lichens through photography, comparison, and repeated field encounters.

The emphasis here is on genus-level recognition and diagnostic patterns—growth form, substrate, color, and reproductive structures—rather than definitive species determination. In many cases, species-level identification from photographs alone is uncertain, and that uncertainty is preserved rather than resolved prematurely.

Content in this section may include:

• Comparative notes between similar genera or species
• Field observations recorded across seasons and locations
• Identification frameworks drawn from regional field guides and herbarium references
• Provisional or evolving identifications

This material is intentionally separated from the Gallery.
The Gallery presents lichens as photographic subjects; these field notes explore them as biological organisms.

Both perspectives inform one another.

Orientation

These notes are organized around form and comparison rather than a complete species list.

Description

[Formal species descriptions and morphological language.]

Anatomy

[Thallus structure, layers, lobes, rhizines, and reproductive structures.]

Ecology

[Habitat, substrate preference, and environmental relationships.]

Identification

[Field characters, diagnostic traits, and similar species.]

Reproductive & Growth Strategies

[Soredia, isidia, apothecia, and dispersal.]

Physiology

[Notes on lichen physiology.]

Symbiotic Relationship

[Mycobiont–photobiont interactions.]

Terminology

[Definitions used in keys and descriptions.]

Families

• Families: 51.
• Genera: 147.
• Species: 373. – Total Taxa: 373