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.

I was walking a trail I've been on before and was looking for anything that might be interesting, stopped to pick a random tree and then noticed the Witch's Hair dangling from one of another tree's lower branches. The trail is a maintained one, but I doubt they are tending to the needs of the lichen or the tree it grows on.
Witch’s Hair Lichen has been favored in Northwestern cultures for bandages, baby diapers, feminine hygiene, footwear, poncho materials, and for decoration as artificial hair on dance masks (Krisberg). I can imagine them working the lichen into smaller fibers to weave them together for smaller and more delicate clothing, if not simply using the whole stalk for the weaving of larger items, and probably not even doing much to it at all for the dance masks. The lichen has been observed growing in three continents: northeastern and northwestern North America, Patagonia in South America, and central and northern Europe (Olivero).
On the Puget Sound Museum of Natural History website, it seems to prefer wet and cool climates which is the prevailing weather here in Juneau because a few years ago I think we only had 3 days out of the year that it didn’t rain ("Witch's Hair"). The Puget Sound Museum of Natural History says this species of lichen is known to be reasonably nutritious to deer and caribou who eat it during the winter, and in some areas the caribou depend upon it to survive the winter ("Witch's Hair"). I find it reasonable to assume that other deer and moose in the area local to Juneau may also use it for food during the winter months. I saw a doe and two fawns about a month ago up by the university campus.

Works Cited

Brodo, I. M., S. D. Sharnoff, and S. Sharnoff. "Lichens of North America." Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2001, pp. 795.

Krisberg, Marlo F. “Alectoria sarmentosa; Witch’s Hair Lichen.” Calphotos, 24 Jan. 2010, https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+1011+0750. Accessed 8 Mar. 2024.

Nash, T. H., B. D. Ryan, C. Gries, and F. Bungartz. "Lichen flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert region." Lichens Unlimited, Department of Plant Biology, Vol. 1, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. 2002. pp. 532.

Olivero, A. “Alectoria Sarmentosa Common Witch’s Hair Lichen.” NatureServe Explorer 2.0, NatureServe Explorer, 1 Mar. 2024, explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.122754/Alectoria_sarmentosa. Accessed 8 Mar. 2024.

“Witch’s Hair.” Puget Sound Museum of Natural History, University of Puget Sound, 2024, www.pugetsound.edu/puget-sound-museum-natural-history/exhibits/terrestrial-panel/witchs-hair. Accessed 8 Mar. 2024.

The Willow Bracket (Quhmaq) is a fungi, also known as conk, which are among the most common organisms on Earth (“Bracket Fungus - Quhmaq.”). This type being more commonly found in damp forests and helps to decompose the dead trees (“Bracket Fungus - Quhmaq.”). These types are tough and inedible for us but still have many other uses, such as enhancing chewing tobacco, other medicines, starting and transporting fires, and as a canvas for paintings (“Bracket Fungus - Quhmaq.”). These fungi have been known to cause heart rot in hardwood species found in Alaska (Mulvey). This particular type seems to be the most common and widespread which is being tracked for identification and forest health protection (Mulvey).
I couldn’t find much in the way for details of this conk, it seems to me that it might almost be an invasive species of fungi as the USDA is tracking it, but it may just be a natural part of the ecosystem here in Alaska. The fact that it can cause heart rot means that if it starts growing on a tree, it will be the death of the tree that it is growing on although I could not easily find a life cycle for the conk, I am sure that it would not be a slow death in terms of tree lifespan. The heart of the tree serves as its support structure, much the same as the studs in your house walls, if the support is destroyed the structure will fall. Not great for a tree, although such fallen trees can make room for light to reach the forest floor and return nutrients to the soil that used to be a part of the tree. The cycle of life would not end with the falling of a tree.

Works Cited

“Bracket Fungus - Quhmaq.” Alutiiq Museum, City of Kodiak, 2020, alutiiqmuseum.org/collection/index.php/Detail/word/676. Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.

Mulvey, Robin. “Region 10 - Forest & Grassland Health.” Forest Service National Website, USDA, 2023, www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/r10/forest-grasslandhealth/?cid=FSEPRD989130. Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.

Belted Kingfishers live on a fish diet but have also been observed eating crustaceans, mollusks, insects, reptiles, other birds, and berries (Kelly). It will knock its prey unconscious before swallowing it whole and headfirst (Kelly). The male and female will take turns digging a burrow after the male finds a suitable place along an embankment near water but high enough to be above any floodwaters (Kelly). They breed monogamously but take a new mate each year and defend their established territory that normally follows the shoreline (Kelly).
I saw this Belted Kingfisher near the police station above a man-made lake which had been created as a restoration project for a rock quarry that used to be there. Since it was perched on the power lines that extend across the small lake, it’s reasonable for me to assume that it was there looking for food. I haven’t ever been bird watching before, but my mom did have a hummingbird feeder when I was growing up. Most of that lake was still frozen over, but it was clearly deeper than I could see. The area was also being used for local student research and environment monitoring according to the posted informative signs. There were several types of fish that lived in the lake as well as a beaver that had been there before if not still. I did see signs of overflow from the smaller lake to the larger across the walking path and there was still the highway yet to cross before reaching the Lynn Canal. That lake water may be clearer during the summer despite its underwater vegetation however, as it was apparently frozen over during the winter.

Works Cited

Kelly, Jeffrey F. “Belted Kingfisher: Life History.” Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In The Birds of North America, Eli S. Bridge, Michael J. Hamas. Ver. 2. 2009. Ithaca, New York. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher/lifehistory#. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.