A casual lichen foray part 5: Peltigera species

Dog Pelts, Frog Pelts, Elizabethan Pelts and more. These large leafy lichens play an important role in nitrogen fixation and soil stabilization. In Chickakoo they can be found plastered to the almost vertical soil banks along some of the hilly trails. A key thing to remember: don't be superficial! Lift a lobe and look at the 'veins' and rhizines on the lower surface to help you identify species in this genus.

Peltigera elisabethae Lovely shiny grey lobes, often with abundant cracks and lobules on top, the rhizines form concentric rings below and the veins are broad to nonexistent.