https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200974033
Observed this white lichen growing on a tree at the edge of the forest nearby where I live. The tree it is growing on is a Beach tree and I think it is a type of lichen known as Salted Shield Lichen, but as I have not seen its apothecia (fungal bloom) before I am not certain of that. I used the suggestions from the iNaturalist website along with the U.S. Forest Service to narrow down the results and that one looked the most similar outside of the bloom.
From the U.S. Forest service website, I located a PDF file which details some of the diversity of Lichen in Alaska (Lichens of Alaska's South Coast). I learned that lichen has two separate surfaces, the one we see and the one on the underside that touches the thing they are growing on. Lichen have features that are specialized to allow them to become dehydrated and still survive and are very well adapted to live in marginal habitats around the world. They can produce a very large variety of compounds that serve as repellents for things that might eat them and discourage competition from other plants, and there are more than a thousand known lichen types that occur on the south coast of Alaska alone. All those and more details were listed on page 3 of the file.
From another section of the same organizations’ website there is a list of uses for lichens by people and other creatures (U.S. Forest Service). Some for food, some for poison, and others for dye, they have also been used for antibiotic properties and other drugs, such as toothpaste and perfumes. Although it’s not for everyone as there is the possibility of allergic reactions and skin disorders resulting from use.
Works Cited
Lichens of Alaska’s South Coast, United States Department of Agriculture, https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5391725.pdf . Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
U.S. Forest Service. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/beauty/lichens/didyouknow.shtml#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20lichens%20are%20used,lichens%2C%20resulting%20in%20skin%20disorders. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.