https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/201449249
I was walking a trail I've been on before and was looking for anything that might be interesting, stopped to pick a random tree and then noticed the Witch's Hair dangling from one of another tree's lower branches. The trail is a maintained one, but I doubt they are tending to the needs of the lichen or the tree it grows on.
Witch’s Hair Lichen has been favored in Northwestern cultures for bandages, baby diapers, feminine hygiene, footwear, poncho materials, and for decoration as artificial hair on dance masks (Krisberg). I can imagine them working the lichen into smaller fibers to weave them together for smaller and more delicate clothing, if not simply using the whole stalk for the weaving of larger items, and probably not even doing much to it at all for the dance masks. The lichen has been observed growing in three continents: northeastern and northwestern North America, Patagonia in South America, and central and northern Europe (Olivero).
On the Puget Sound Museum of Natural History website, it seems to prefer wet and cool climates which is the prevailing weather here in Juneau because a few years ago I think we only had 3 days out of the year that it didn’t rain ("Witch's Hair"). The Puget Sound Museum of Natural History says this species of lichen is known to be reasonably nutritious to deer and caribou who eat it during the winter, and in some areas the caribou depend upon it to survive the winter ("Witch's Hair"). I find it reasonable to assume that other deer and moose in the area local to Juneau may also use it for food during the winter months. I saw a doe and two fawns about a month ago up by the university campus.
Works Cited
Brodo, I. M., S. D. Sharnoff, and S. Sharnoff. "Lichens of North America." Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2001, pp. 795.
Krisberg, Marlo F. “Alectoria sarmentosa; Witch’s Hair Lichen.” Calphotos, 24 Jan. 2010, https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+1011+0750. Accessed 8 Mar. 2024.
Nash, T. H., B. D. Ryan, C. Gries, and F. Bungartz. "Lichen flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert region." Lichens Unlimited, Department of Plant Biology, Vol. 1, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. 2002. pp. 532.
Olivero, A. “Alectoria Sarmentosa Common Witch’s Hair Lichen.” NatureServe Explorer 2.0, NatureServe Explorer, 1 Mar. 2024, explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.122754/Alectoria_sarmentosa. Accessed 8 Mar. 2024.
“Witch’s Hair.” Puget Sound Museum of Natural History, University of Puget Sound, 2024, www.pugetsound.edu/puget-sound-museum-natural-history/exhibits/terrestrial-panel/witchs-hair. Accessed 8 Mar. 2024.
Comentarios
Thats very intriguing to encounter Witch's Hair Lichen on a nature walk.(I have never but i imagine the next time I do I will recall your journal entry). Good information provided on the uses in Northwestern cultures for various purposes, including bandages and clothing, highlight its versatility and importance in traditional practices. Its preference for wet and cool climates aligns well with Juneau's weather, making it a suitable habitat for this lichen. The fact that deer and caribou rely on it for nutrition during winter adds another layer of ecological significance to this species. It's fascinating to think about the potential interactions between local wildlife and this lichen, especially considering your sighting of deer near the university campus. Thank you for sharing your observations and insights!
Hi Riz Khan, it's still under discussion as to confirming which of the two possible types of lichen that I think it could be although I am still leaning towards the Witch's Hair due to some of the smaller details. I should have gone and taken another look at it earlier when I was out driving other errands while the sun was up. However, I had not seen the second person’s comment on the observation at that time and am still not entirely sure if it's the first one I thought it was or the second revised identification. I did see a lot more similar looking lichen on other trees while I was out exploring another place but I did not try to get a closer look at any of them.
Excellent observation and Journal entry, Daniel! Way to go on your MLA Format, which is almost entirely correct this week! Beautiful alphabetical order for your Works Cited, excellently formatted entries in the Works Cited, and successful use of parenthetical citations! Fantastic job!
There are just some minor corrections needed to have perfectly accurate MLA format for this observation. Please note that you can't include more than one source in a parenthetical citation, as you did in your Journal entry by lumping three authors of separate sources together. Choose the first source you read the information in to use in the parenthetical citation. It is true that many of our sources will give us similar facts about our species, so choose just the one that you first learned the fact in. Also, please remember that article titles are in quotation marks not just in the Works Cited, but ALSO in the parenthetical citations! So your "Witch's Hair" parenthetical citation should have the article title in quotation marks.
On a more general note: user "gwark" is a well-known Alaska naturalist, and excellent resource for you to be interacting with. He is actually someone who can help you identify species that you're curious about. He has a website that might be a useful resource for your continued work in iNaturalist and throughout our class: https://www.sitkanature.org/
Great work, Daniel!
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