A sense of the place - Evernia Mesomorpha with Apothecia

This lichen was located in a wooded dune/swale complex along the Lake Michigan shoreline (Point Aux Chenes Bay) in the upper peninsula just a few miles west of St. Ignace off US 2. This whole wetland complex here, from the shoreline and miles north, is extremely precious. You can delineate marsh, northern fen, sedge meadow, and bog, within 50 yards of one another. Numerous orchid species, common and rare, bloom here. Exploring the dune/swale complex takes you through lowland inundated wetland pockets (swale) with various sedge and shrub species into cedar swamps. The dune saddles between the swales support trees like oak, balsam fir, black spruce, white pine, and paper birch. Here are a few landscape images from the area.

Lake Michigan Shoreline