Ochrolechia laevigata
Description: Pale grey to white smooth continuous crustose thallus; dotted with numerous 0.5-1.5mm apothecia with white thalline margins and a pinkish disc.
Ecology: Found in moist forests on smooth deciduous bark, here with peltagaria lichens (foliose spp)
Bark Barnacle
Thelotrema lepadinium
Description: A continuous grey crustose lichen with apothecia (fruiting bodies) that resemble a barnacle, or like a blister with a darker central blister and parchment like edges around the dark inner blister. Thallus is smooth, very thin and may be somewhat warty.
Ecology: Common on smooth-barked trees in moist coastal shady or open forests. While they prefer alder and other deciduous for their smoothness they will also grow on coniferous trees, especially as you approach middle elevation. Found in coastal forests from the Alaskan panhandle south, while it does not have to be near the sea shore it is found in coastal localities only as this species has not been found far inland.
Notes: This one was found growing on a coniferous tree at intermediate-middle elevation near Halfmoon Bay, BC, late March 2003.
Icmadophila ericetorum
Description: Easily to identify by its abundant pink lecanorine (having a thallus-like margin) apothecia. Off white when dry the thallus turns bright to pale green when moist, may be smooth or granular. When non-fruiting it may be confused with Baeomyces rufus.
Ecology: Common and widespread, found on rotting wood, humus and mosses, particularly Sphagnum hummocks, from low to alpine elevations.
Notes: This picture was taken in February 2003 at middle elevation (it was a mild year) near Carlson Lake, BC, it was found growing on an old rotting cypress stump.
Mycoblastus sanguinarious
Description: Crustose greyish or greenish thin warty thallus with large black hemispheric apothecia, pigmented red just beneath the surface, red may show at surface as in this picture where the surface of some of the apothecia have apparently been scratched off.
Ecology: Common on decaying coniferous bark in moist coniferous forests from low to subalpine elevations.
Notes: Mycoblastus affinis is a similar species but it lacks the red pigmentation. This one was found in February 2003 at middle elevation on a rotting old cypress log.
Pencil Script
Graphis scripta
Description: Pale whitish grey crust lichen, smooth upper cortex with characteristic black elongated fruiting bodies known as lirellae which resemble hieroglyphic squiggles, or pencil scripts.
Ecology: Found growing on smooth bark of deciduous trees in moist coastal forests, common on alder.
Notes:This species has been found in fossilized amber dating 10 to 25 million years ago. This specimen was found growing on an alder trunk in a moist mixed forest surrounding Chapman Creek, Sept 2006 photo.
Dust Lichens
Lepraria species
Description: Consists of coloured, powdery granules, without any fruiting bodies. Sterile lichens that reproduce through dissemination of the powdery granules. Many of this genus are undescribed as they have yet to be critically studied in North America. Here we have a fluorescent yellow and an orange, black and white are also common, bottom picture.
Ecology: Common on shaded, sheltered bark, wood, or vertical rock outcrops in humid sites.
Notes: The top left flourescent yellow and top right orange one were found on different rocky outcrops on the Sunshine Coast, they were both on the underside of rocks, sheltered from rain since they derive their moisture directly from the air. The white one on bottom was found growing on rocks on the side of Chapman Creek.
Gold Dust Lichen
Chrysothrix chlorina
Description: A gold dust lichen that produces no fruiting bodies, spreading by granules.
Ecology: Found on acidic rocks in coastal areas, preferring open sites.
Notes: This one was found growing on rocks on the edge of Powell Lake in Haywire Bay, Powell River, BC. Powell Lake is an inland lake with salt water on the bottom as it used to be a coastal inlet until the tectonic plates shifted and uplifted the land. This population had spread to a nearby tree root system where it entirely covered the roots of the tree. July 2005 photo.
Baeomyces rufus
Description: A crustose lichen with a finely granular, thin green thallus with short (to 3mm) pseudopodetia bearing light brown apothecia. Reacts KOH+ yellow and PD+ orange.
Ecology: Found growing on wood and sandstone boulders, especially at shorelines and coastlines, may colonize soil banks helping to stabilize them preventing erosion. Found throughout BC, much of Northern Canada and south into the western States of the USA.
Notes: When not in apothecia may be confused with sorediate Trapeliopsis granulosa (C+ red) and granulose Icmadophila ericetorum (KOH+ yellow to brown and PD+ orange). This one was found growing on an old log in Roberts Creek in early October of 2005.
