Image Source: Wikimedia Commons. By: Ian Goudie.
This week’s Creature Feature takes us to the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska to find a species that is one of the most endangered in the world.
The Boreal Felt Lichen (so named for its appearance) is a foliose cyanolichen and one of the most endangered lichen species in the world. When dry, the lichen appears to be gray-brown in color and when wet, the lichen turns to a nice shade of slate-blue. Underneath, you’ll find white coloring and the top of the Boreal Felt Lichen is pocked with reddish-brown spots. This fuzzy plant has lobes that can grow up to 5 cm (1.97 inches) across, which sometimes have a diameter of 12 cm (4.72 inches).
Surprisingly, the Boreal Felt Lichen was once found in Norway and Sweden, but it has disappeared entirely from both countries. Right now, the remaining habitats of this plant include Nova Scotia (less than 200), Newfoundland, and the Denali area of Alaska. If you want to go searching for this lichen before it disappears completely, your best bet is to check out Balsam Fir trees that grow in areas with a lot of moisture and a lot of Sphagnum moss.
Threats to the critically endangered Boreal Felt Lichen include: acid rain, air pollution, logging, invasive and introduced species—particularly herbivores. Fortunately, their main populations in Newfoundland are within protected areas, so they still have a fighting chance. To find out more about the Boreal Felt Lichen, check out these links:
Arkive
Newfoundland Nature
Nova Scotia’s Species at Risk
The Nature Conservancy of Canada: Protecting Habitat for the Boreal Felt Lichen
Erioderma
IUCN Red List Profile
Canada.com
By Heidi Marshall
