Usnea intermedia

Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Marin County, CA
December 29, 2015
Robert Niese

The redwood and oak forests of Marin County are home to a vast and striking diversity of fungi. I originally hadn’t planned on posting photographs from the region (because it’s definitely not the northwest), but they’re just too beautiful to pass up! While the genus Usnea is particularly diverse back home in the PNW, this species is not found north of California. Unfortunately, our region is home to only one strikingly fertile species of Usnea (U. quasirigida) with abundant apothecia like this individual. U. quasirigida can be found uncommonly in northern Washington and British Columbia.