Field Notes
Last fall, CWF researchers uncovered a rare gem in Gatineau Park
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Very early on a cool, cloudless fall morning, an eager crew of naturalists gathered in an empty parking lot in Quebec’s Gatineau Park. Their mission
for the day: to locate Physconia subpallida, a type of lichen on the federal government’s endangered species list. The likelihood of finding pale-bellied frost lichen in the park was a long shot: with only 20 known locations in Canada — all in Ontario — this particular lichen had never been recorded in Quebec.
For James Pagé, a species at risk and biodiversity specialist at the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Gatineau Park had been on his radar for this lichen since early in 2016. “The area should have habitat similar to areas in which the lichen has historically been found in Ontario,” says Pagé, who put together a team for the survey, comprising Jessica Allen, a researcher with the New York Botanical Garden, Troy Mcmullin, a lichenologist with the Museum of Nature in Ottawa, and a number of volunteers.
The team knew where they had to look: pale-bellied frost lichen grows almost exclusively on ironwood trees (Ostrya virginiana), typically in humid mature forests with low stem density, and on bark with high moisture capacity. It also tends to grow in areas with only limited numbers of coniferous trees, as these increase soil acidity, something this lichen abhors. Fortunately, most of the time, the lichen grows at eye level, removing any need to scramble up ladders into the canopy, as is often the case when hunting lichen.
Over the course of the day, the team searched a broad area, carefully examining dozens of trees up close with hand lenses. Search team members disappeared for long stretches at a time, though usually within earshot. The group identified dozens of lichens but not their intended quarry. After the morning and most of the afternoon had turned up nothing, hope was beginning to fade with the light. It was just then that Mcmullin shouted for the group to come look. Everyone came running. As they arrived, he pointed out a patch of lichen, no larger than your thumb. There it was: Physconia subpallida! High fives ensued, and cameras began to flash. It was the first pale-bellied frost lichen ever recorded in Quebec.
When the ground was partially bare of snow, and a few warm days had dried its surface somewhat, it was pleasant to compare the first tender signs of the infant year just peeping forth with the stately beauty of the withered vegetation...