Taft, CA March 22, 2007 I found this odd lime-green lichen growing on the north side of a fence post in the mountains above Taft, CA (on the day that I was yearning to see some green grass after spending a week in the desert!). Note the huge, brown apothecia. This lichen gets its name from the fact that it was once used to kill wolves.
The upper (right) and lower (left) edges of the thallus, the "body" of the lichen, are visible in this photo. The little black hair-like projections are called cilia, they are often used as aids for identifying lichen species. I received my Lichens of North America book (by Irwin M. Brodo, Sylvia Duran Sharnoff and Stephen Sharnoff), so now I can tentatively identify many of the lichens I find during my travels. The book is a HUGE (~3" thick) reference guide, it is definitely not a field guide that I will carry in my backpack! I'll use the book to try to identify the lichens in this gallery (you'll see the word "possibly" a lot!). Please refer to a professional guide and run the field tests for more accurate identification if you are working on a research paper, as many lichens look alike. I try to be as accurate as possible, but I'm not an expert! :)
Oak Ridge, TN Feb. 25, 2009 I found this lichen growing on the dogwood tree in my yard.
