The lichens and allied fungi of Wickecheoke Creek Preserve, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA: A baseline pre–Hurricane Ida1

A checklist of the lichen flora of Wickecheoke Creek Preserve in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA, is presented. It has been developed from a 2020 lichen biodiversity inventory of 17 tracts owned by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation along a tributary of the Delaware River, as well as historical collections from the late 20th century. The fieldwork was followed by chemical and microscopic study and molecular data analysis. The checklist comprises 160 named species, 19 of which are new published records for New Jersey, demonstrating again that substantial undocumented lichen diversity remains even in densely populated states that have been subject to extensive botanical study. One of these species is reported as new to North America, Agonimia repleta, previously known only from Europe. In addition, the 2020 inventory took place before the Wickecheoke Creek Preserve was heavily damaged by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021, thus providing a baseline for future study of the recovery of the lichen community after severe weather events.