Are #lichens truly a treasure chest of #naturalproducts compared to non-lichenized #fungi? We put this to test using #BGC count as a proxy across ~400 #genomes. Spoiler alert: They absolutely are! #PKSs #secondaryMetabolites #Lecanoromycetes #fungalGenomics Article link: tinyurl.com/ynph7npe

Amazing field day with my students at Deception Pass State Park, Island County, WA. We were mapping rare lichens within the sand verbena moth restoration project area, when I noticed these gorgeous mushrooms growing with Racomitrium moss and the beautiful Plectritis congesta.

Trillium ovatum is popping off here in Watershed Park, Olympia WA.

Sometimes you hit the TRIFECTA-Lichens, rare birds, and old-growth, as the folks from Evergreen State College did during their group talk on lichens and marbled murrelets at the NW Lichenologists/Scientific Assoc. meeting talk Wednesday. Their mentor, Dr Calabria is leading the way. #lichens

Excited to see how this goes. I helped the Plantlife team dig in the thalli…

The time a northern saw-whet owl visited my chicken coop.

Our newest research on plant-fungal trade published today in @nature.com. The work, led by scientists from Vrije Universiteit, Princeton University, SPUN & AMOLF combines robotics, mycology & biophysics to reveal underground supply-chain dynamics. Open access: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

And I though Lycoperdon perlartum (Common puffball) was saprobic. This study shows it forms ECM relationships with populus and may improve their resistance to drought. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Hypogymnia duplicata, old-growth yellow cedar swamp, Dingford Creek trail, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA.

eDNA and traditional biocrust sampling each have blind spots for biodiversity but tell a similar ecological story of disturbance in Artemisia steppe. The Bryologist, 128(1):1-15 (2025). doi.org/10.1639/0007...

Gorgeous Ramaria showing off in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Halloween 2024.

Take this class!

The first description of mycorrhizae was published in 1885, where A.B. Frank first coined the term. His study, commissioned by the Kingdom of Prussia, explored the potential for truffle cultivation. Despite it's age, it's insightful to anyone interested in the subject. Read it ⬇️ tinyurl.com/ABFrank

ABLS Field Research Awards are now open! Check out the details at www.abls.org