By Julie McConnell, UF/IFAS Extension
As the 
weather cools off many people take to the trails to explore beautiful Northwest Florida beyond the beaches. If you find yourself hiking through state parks, national parks, or other undeveloped natural areas you will likely spot common native plants including oaks, pines, palmetto, and goldenrod. But as you are walking, be sure to take notice of the area beneath the trees and shrubs or you might walk right past a patch of reindeer moss!
Reindeer moss forms masses of small lacey looking gray-green balls that live on top of sandy soil in undisturbed areas. Technically a lichen, reindeer moss is composed of a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a blue-green algae and has no roots. The fungus provides structure and form to the lichen and the algae makes food through photosynthesis. Reproducing by spores, reindeer moss can cover large bare areas of full to part sun in the forest. Upon close inspection you will notice intricately formed rounded balls that remind me of snowballs – each with unique branching details.
So, you might be wondering why is it called reindeer moss? Reindeer moss belongs to the genus Cladonia which occurs from Florida to the arctic tundra and is a winter food source for – you guessed it – reindeer! Although we don’t have reindeer in Florida, reindeer lichen may be a food source for native white-tailed deer and is utilized by native birds for nesting material as well as a food source for insects.
If you would like to learn more about lichen visit The Life of Lichen at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1296
An Equal Opportunity Institution. UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Andra Johnson, Dean. Single copies of UF/IFAS Extension publications (excluding 4-H and youth publications) are available free to Florida residents from county UF/IFAS Extension offices.
