Today's highlighted organisms in the NCC bioblitz are Fungi, Lichens and Mosses. This group includes a huge variety of organisms, most of which we know very little about. As the organisms are generally on the small side, getting up close and personal so that the identifiers can see very small details is really helpful. Here's a link to the guide that BC naturalists prepared to help observers new to nature photography and iNaturalist.
Like our leafminers and gall makers from yesterday, fungi (and lichens) are specialists. Identifiers need to know where you found them. For those species that are growing on other organisms (like those woody plants you are still hunting for) which plant is hosting the fungi can separate one species from another. If you find any of the plum family in your travels, then you probably also have found Black Knot - a fungus that only grows on these woody plants.
This fungus is a good organism found in Manitoba for new identifiers to learn. It is quite distinctive and though you might previously not have known its name, you have probably already noticed it on your outings.
Here's how to get started....
Now if when you go looking for unidentified pictures of Black Knot, there are none in the list - you can always come back later. There will be more tomorrow.
It is important to pace yourself when contributing identifications. As soon as you start to feel grumpy or overwhelmed, it is time to stop and do something else for a while. As my grandmother would say, 'Rome wasn't built in a day."
Here's another resource on identification from the iNaturalist resources page.
Comments
Add a Comment