Freckle Pelt
Peltigera britannica
Description: A large, loosely appressed leaf lichen with broad bright green lobes that become a lighter shade of green when dried out. Its broad lobes are 20-50mmm wide with scattered warts (cephalodia) and often with flattened brown apothecia. Its lower surface has small veins or no veins, and is cottony and blackening inward of lobe margins, rhizines are scarce.
Ecology: Common on mossy rocks and decaying logs in open forests at low and middle elevations, occasionally on trees.
Notes: This species looks very much like P. apthosa but the latter has tightly appressed cephalodia that are not easily dislodged with a fingernail, furthermore it is much rarer on the coast. P. leucophlebia is also similar with similar cephalodia but it has very distinct veins on its under surface.
Peltigera membranacea
Description: Large loosely appressed leaf lichen with broad lobes up to 40cm with an greyish or brownish tomentose (at margins) upper surface and a whitish lower surface which is heavily covered with long (1cm) slender rhizines (holdfasts). They are often found bearing brown apothecia (fruiting bodies) along the lobe margins, as shown in this specimen.
Ecology: A common lichen found on rock, moss, soil and logs in shady or open forests from low to middle elevations. Common in coastal localities but increasingly rare inland.
Notes: This one was found on the edge of a trail growing on some mossy, soil covered rocks at Chapman Creek, low elevation near Sechelt, BC, summer 2003 after a rain. This lichen is identified as being sensitive to air pollution. This can easily be confused with P. neopolydactyla but can be distinguished by its smoother surface and less sharply distinguished veins and smaller and fewer rhizines on the lower surface.
Peltigera malacea
Description: When moist this lichen is dark blue-green but turns dark grey and dull on the upper surface when dry. Lower surface is light grey to white and covered with thick grey tomentum, veinless on the lower surface.
Ecology: Widespread terriculous lichen commonly found growing on acidic soils in coniferous forests
Notes: This one was found near the edge of a shady mixed forest in coniferous needle litter. It was found growing with hairy step moss; this species is often found with this particular type of moss here in SW coastal BC.
Questionable Rock Frog
Xanthoparmelia cumberlandia
Description: This lichen has a circular thallus that is firmly attached to the rocks, lower cortex is brown with numerous small rhizines, abundant dark brown, almost black apothecia.
Ecology: Xanthoparmelia has 400+ species worldwide but only 2-3 on the Pacific Coast. Common in southern BC on exposed rocks.
Cladonia Scales
Cladonia spp.
Description: A very small appressed leaf-like lichen with tiny lobes to 0.5cm wide, green upper surface, white, often upturned lower surface.
Ecology: Found on moss, soil, decaying logs and tree bases at all elevations, common and widespread.
Notes: This is a group of several very difficult to identify species though easily recognized at the genus level, these are by far the most common scale-like lichen in coastal BC. This one was found at low elevation near Crowston Lake outside of Sechelt, BC, March 2003.
Vulpicida canadensis
Description: Foliose lichen with ascending 4-6cm lobes. Upper and lower surfaces bright yellow, medulla yellow. Lacks soredia and isidia, brown disk apothecia usually are present.
Ecology: Found growing on bark and wood, especially on Pinus and Larix species but other shrubs and trees as well, common in coniferous forests near water. Found from BC to California and inland east of the Cascade mountains.
Notes: This lichen is fairly sensitive to air pollution and you won’t often find it growing in close proximity to metropolitan areas. This one was growing on a pine tree in Haywire Bay, on the edge of Powell Lake in Powell River, BC, July 2005 photo.
