Lichen season? Really? Lichens are with us year ’round, but at this time of year they can be more visible than at other times. With the fall rains, some species re-hydrate and colours brighten. Lichens can also be more readily noticed when the leaves and flowers of herbaceous plants are no longer there to distract us.
Very simply put, lichens are complex plant-like organisms that are based on a partnership between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, usually green algae. More than 1100 species of lichens have been reported in BC, and just 228 have been observed in iNaturalist for the Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region. With such a rich biodiversity of lichens waiting to be discovered, the tough part can be getting started.
My gateway to the world of lichens has been the pelt lichens (Peltigera). They are large, are commonly seen, and can often be identified on site and by photograph. The first lichen I posted on iNaturalist was a pelt lichen on the ground along the Ray Peters trail. You can also find these lichens growing amongst mosses in lawns. Other easy places to spot them are on granite boulders, in road cuts and on tree trunks. Once you know what to look for, they’re everywhere. We have at least ten species in and around Squamish.
Identification to species can be tricky. Some important characteristics are substrate (what it’s growing on); size, presence and appearance of veins on the underside; colour and appearance of the fruiting bodies (apothecia); and texture of the top surface. This can be overwhelming, but with practice it gets easier, and soon you could be ready to move on to recognizing other lichens. Perhaps the Peltigera will become your “gateway” lichens as they have been for me.
If you’re interested in learning more about lichens, have a look at The Ways of Enlichenment. If you like having reference books with lots of photos, you might like to have Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest, which is said to cover almost all of the macrolichens (lichens you can see with the naked eye) in our area. As with much of learning, the more we learn about lichens, the more exciting they become.
Gwen
(an interested beginner)
Banner photo: Membranous pelt lichen (Peltigera membranacea), one of our largest pelt lichens, which can grow to 40 cm or more across. This one is in Merrill Park.