Florida has lots of interesting lichens that take many different shapes and forms. They also come in plenty of colors, although most of them are grayish, green, or off white. One of the green ones that I find particularly attractive is deer moss (Cladonia evansii). It’s also sometimes called Evans’ deer moss, reindeer moss, Evans’ reindeer moss, or powderpuff lichen. It’s a pretty common lichen found on sandy soil in sunny areas or areas of partial shade. Deer moss can be found in coastal or sandy areas along much of the eastern United States as well as some islands in the Caribbean. It requires almost no water, and instead, gets its fluids from the air. One of the reasons that I like it is that it grows in clumps, some of which can get quite large, and is made up of lots of branching filaments. The way it’s structured makes it look light and fluffy.

Despite the fact that it’s frequently called deer moss, deer rarely eat it. In fact, very few animals do because it is very acidic. It is said to taste a lot like aspirin, and unless cooked in multiple water changes, it can cause a pretty bad stomach ache, although it’s not considered toxic since it won’t actually kill you (or the wildlife). There is a similar species that is found much further north that is considerably less acidic, and is one of the staple foods of reindeer. Some people do keep it in terrariums since it’s easy to grow and pretty to look at.

I have several areas that are covered in this pretty lichen in my yard, but I actually found this one while I was hiking in the woods behind my house. There were quite a few smaller bunches of it all around the area, and this early in the spring they provided a nice pop of color in the brown leaf litter.