Stoney Creek Trail — Abbotsford, BC

Lichens

LICHENS are actually two organisms living together: a FUNGUS that provides ‘shelter’, and an ALGA that provides nutrients by using chlorophyll and sunlight. Lichens come in many different colours and shapes, such as crusts, scales, leaves, clubs, and hair. They never form leafy stems like mosses do.

Foliose lichens can be flat or leafy, having a top and bottom side

Monks hood

(Hypogymnia physodes)

Freckle pelt

(Peltigera aphthosa)

Hammered crottle

(Parmelia sulcata)

Weedy sunburst

(Xanthoria parietina)

Lungwort

(Lobaria)

Weedy sunburst lichen and Twisted pincushion moss

Fringed rosette

(Physcia tenella)

Speckled greenshield

(Flavopunctelia)

Fruticose lichens can be hair-like, branched or cup-like

Trumpet cup

(Cladonia fimbriata)

Lipstick

(Cladonia macilenta)

Oakmoss

(Evernia prunastri)

Powderhorn cup

(Cladonia coniocraea)

Mixture of lichen liverwort and moss

Crustose lichens form a crust on a surface

Barnacle

(Thelotrema lepadinum)

Pencil

(Graphtis scripta)

Cottonwood dust rim

(Lecanora impudens)