Lung Lichen; Lobaria pulmonaria

Great Smoky Mountains NP March 18, 2009 I was excited to find this lichen growing along the Porter's Creek trail. I had learned about it at the Lichen Workshop. This would have been green had it been wet. Note the "vein" texture on the lobes and the small bumpy apothecia on the edges. This lichen is often used as an indicator species for air quality studies since it is highly sensitive to pollutants.