Bony beard lichen (Usnea trichodea(?)) knocked down from a tree on Caney Creek Trail (Little Lake Creek Loop Trail) in Sam Houston National Forest north from Montgomery. Texas, January 6, 2026
Reverse side of bony beard lichen (Usnea trichodea(?)) knocked down from a tree on Caney Creek Trail (Little Lake Creek Loop Trail) in Sam Houston National Forest north from Montgomery. Texas, January 6, 2026
Vibrant, neon-yellow to chartreuse color and the powdery, granular texture (described as "leprose," meaning it lacks a smooth outer "skin" or cortex) of gold dust lichen (Chrysothrix xanthina) on bark of a tree on Caney Creek Trail (Little Lake Creek Loop Trail) in Sam Houston National Forest north from Montgomery. Texas, January 6, 2026
Gold dust lichen (Chrysothrix xanthina) on bark of a tree (The hole in the bark was most likely made by a woodpecker searching for food, or possibly a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.) on Caney Creek Trail (Little Lake Creek Loop Trail) in Sam Houston National Forest north from Montgomery. Texas, January 6, 2026