Not sure which lichen species this is, but it sure was dramatic in the gray overcast light this morning (2 April 2021). Many thanks to Eric for capturing this orange beauty along the bluffs!
CORRIGENDUM and ADDENDUM (3 April 2021): I heard back from a few NHBH readers and learned that (1) this is *not* a lichen, but an alga (!) and (2) it's likely Trentepohlia aurea. (3) After further reading, it's also possible that T. aurea is no longer the accepted name for this species and it should be called T. flava instead, but I'll defer to experts. Thanks so much for the assistance!
4 comments:
Trentepohlia aurea
Terrific, thanks!
I was curious about the origin of the genus. Sounds like it is named after a German botanist, Johann F. Trentepohl.
From Drake's Beach at Pt. Reyes, the cliffs at Chimney Rock can look very orange due to this algae.
Thanks, John (and Burr, who e-mailed me) for pointing out this is an alga. A green alga, no less! It definitely fooled me.
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