Lecanora rupicola
Cracked-crust lichen
Look, crustose lichens are too often ignored. Yes they can be difficult to identify, and a lot of them are not particularly flashy, and there hasn’t been nearly as much research done of them as many of their fluffier counterparts, but they are so good and important! L. rupicola forms flat areoles that resemble the cracking of dried clay. The surface is pale cream, gray, or green, and darker subimmersed or sessile pruinose apothecia are common. It grows on exposed silicate rocks all over the place. Something cool about this lichen is that there is an array of diversity found in the algae that form this lichen’s photobiont. This lack of selectivity suggests that it is fairly adaptable, and may be one reason it is so widespread. Look to the lichens, folks. Adapting to diversity is good.
Follow to meet a new lichen every day!
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