Arkansas’s Ouachita National Forest is a rocky forest. Ridgelines tend to be made up of large rock outcroppings that stand out from the rest of the forest. Ouachita is also home to many unique lichen species.
The other day I was approaching one such outcropping when I noticed some brightly colored rocks near the top of the ridge.
When I made my way closer to the rocks, I could see that the brightly colored formations were lichen, but I had no idea what species of lichen they could be.
I snapped a few pictures and used iNaturalist to determine their identity.
I found out they are called elegant sunburst lichen (Rusavskia elegans) and they are common near rocky outcrops. Their color is so bright against the dull background of the rock surface that they are hard to miss.
In fact, this species of lichen is dependent on nitrogen and is therefore most common in areas below bird perches or near small mammal burrows.
When I found this out, I started searching around to see if I could find any signs of burrows.
Sure enough, just down the slope I came across this rock pile with clear accumulation of sticks and other burrow-making material underneath it.
I wasn’t sure if the burrow was still inhabited. But if it were, the lichen would continue to thrive.
In the future, as I’m exploring (or working) in and around rocky outcrops, I’ll be mindful of the lichen that populate the rocks and keep an eye out for other wildlife that they depend on.
Thank you for this post! In February, I “discovered” this lichen in Petit Jean State Park in the Ouachitas and have just had the chance to investigate it and found your blog. I’m a place-based poet and working on a new project 52 Parks: 52 Poems, where I’ll visit each of Arkansas’s state parks and write a poem in/for each. Petit Jean is the first. You’ve helped add to the research going into my Petit Jean poem. Much appreciate to you!