Category Archives: Michigan Lichens

Lungwort Lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria)

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Lungwort

Twenty-five years ago Cranbrook Institute of Science published their Michigan Lichens. In this little book I saw pictures of Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) for the first time. I started looking for this distinctive lichen. Well I finally saw it. On a visit to Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary in the Keweenaw I found Lungwort growing on the bark of trees in the old growth forest.

Lungwort

The thalli are large, 5 to 15 cm [2 to 6 in] and remind me of a wrinkled red oak leaf. Others think they resemble the human lung and based on the doctrine of signatures believed this plant would be helpful in treating lung problems. It is not. Lungwort is brownish to olive-green when dry and is said to be bright green when wet. Spots of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) dot its underside. Lungwort cannot survive where the air quality is poor. All sightings on Inaturalist are north of Gaylord.

Lungwort

It is always fun to find new species, especially one that I have sought for years. This is a distinctive lichen. I wonder when I will see it again.

 
Copyright 2021 by Donald Drife

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You’ll be lichen this.

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Elegant Sunburst Lichen

Xanthoria elegans, Elegant Sunburst Lichen

I found a brilliant orange lichen last weekend along the north shore of Lake Huron. It’s Elegant Sunburst Lichen (Xanthoria elegans). Bird excrement provides the needed fertilizer and the lichen grows in spots under likely bird perches.

Lichens are composed of three elements: algae, fungus, and cyanobacteria. Trevor Goward, the noted lichenologist from British Columbia, once remarked, “Lichens are fungi that have discovered agriculture.” He believes that the fungus benefits the most in this relationship. About 800 species of lichens are recorded from Michigan.

Elegant Sunburst Lichen close-up

Xanthoria elegans, Elegant Sunburst Lichen
close-up

I know Elegant Sunburst Lichen for a different reason; this is the “space lichen.” The European Space Agency sent this lichen to the International Space Station and exposed it to the vacuum of space. After surviving for 18 months by drying up and going dormant, it began to grow when given water upon returning to Earth. These are tough little plants.