Cladonia fimbriata (trumpet lichen)

Cladonia fimbriata (L.) Fr.

Cladonia major (K. Hagen) Sandst.

Trumpet lichen, cup lichen

Kingdom	Fungi	Mushrooms, lichens, gel fungi, yeasts, and molds; also called eukaryotes
Division	Ascomycota	Sac fungi
Subdivision	Pezizomycotina	Sac fungi with filaments
Class	Lecanoromycetes	“Lichenized” fungi
Order	Lecanorales	Mostly lichen-forming fungi
Suborder	Lecanorineae	Lichens
Family	Cladoniaceae	Reindeer moss, cup lichen, others
Genus	Cladonia	“Cup lichen”
Species	fimbriata	“Fringed”

About plant names...

The trumpet-like fruiting structures of these lichens (apothecia) are believed to help in distributing the spores—falling raindrops caught by the structures are splashed some distance, taking the spores with them.

Identification: The lichen and “trumpets” are gray-green in color. Each stalk is less than 1" (2.5 cm) in height. Several Cladonia members share these structures, so this ID is tentative.

Online References:

Cladonia fimbriata on Stephen Sharnoff Photography

Cladonia fimbriata on Lichens of Ireland

Cladonia fimbriata at Alan Silverside's Lichen Pages on LastDragon.org

Cladonia fimbriata on Wikimedia Commons

Cladonia fimbriata on the Ecology of Commanster

Cladonia fimbriata on the Stridvall Family Domain

References:

Walewski, Joe, Lichens of the North Woods, Kollath+Stensaas Publishing, 2007, p. 46

Cladonia fimbriata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

9/5/2009 · Willard Brook State Park, Orange Trail, Townsend, MA
≈ 3½ × 2½" (8.6 × 7.2 cm) ID is uncertain