A lichen - Flavoparmelia caperata

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 7 Feb 2009

(Syn. Parmelia caperata) The whole specimen, of which roughly the upper third is shown here, was 15 cm high. The lichen was growing on the east-facing side of a tree, beside a footpath to the Vale of Leven Industrial Estate. This species has broad lobes, which often have small wrinkles on them (some of these are evident here); small bumps on the lobes develop into powdery areas (called soralia) which contain reproductive structures; these areas gradually spread and merge. This species grows on fairly acid bark of deciduous trees, but is more common in the south of Britain than it is here. It has a bright, distinctive colour, and is fairly sensitive to sulphur dioxide levels; its presence here, so close to industrial units, suggests that the latter are not causing much air pollution.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0