A WOLF field trip always produces lots of discoveries I would miss as my
young colleagues are sharper eyed and built lower to the ground. A student found this beauty in the leaf litter, a 3/4" lichen on an oak twig. INaturalist confirmed it as a golden-eye lichen, Teloschistes chrysophthalmus. Lichens in general are sensitive to air pollution so these are good news.
This North American least shrew, Cryptotis parvus, was spotted dead on the trail. These measure less than 3 inches from nose to tail tip. The shrew's eyes are small and its ears are
completely concealed, stuffed with its short fur. Although it resembles a mouse, it's in a completely different order.
Shrews and moles are featured in this month's Missouri Conservationist. They are predators that specialize in insects and invertebrates such as worms. Their saliva contains a venom that not only paralyzes its prey but also acts as a preservative. Since they remain active in winter and need to eat over 50% of their body weight daily, keeping a stored supply of food is important.
Last up is this little stinker, identified by Ruby who had one of Mark Bower's books in her backpack. It is a common stinkhorn, Phallus impudicus. The species name impudicus translates as shameless, immoral, impudent, lewd, etc. It covers its spores in a foul smelling goop called a gleba. This attracts flies which think they are landing on ripe carrion, only to be disappointed as they fly off with spores to plant at a distant location. More on this at this Wikipedia link.
