It has been a while since I have posted about lichens. I found this patch in the early morning of the fifth of July in an area around Summit Lake in Olympia, Washington. Freckle Pelt Lichen (Peltigera britannica), also known as Flaky Freckle Pelt and British Felt Lichen, is a flat leafy (folose), shield-shaped (peltate) lichen.
Lichens are a partnership of two separate species which combine to form a single entity. A fungal component provides the structural stability, water and minerals, while the algae or a cyanobacteria are in charge of the photosynthesis. The dark spots on the upper surface of the lobes are pockets of cyanobacteria.
The specimens I found were set in a heavy substrate of mosses. This appears typical as almost all the photos I found showed this lichen set in mosses.
Freckle pelt lichen is from the same genus as the Dog Lichen. To get more information about lichens, go to Discovering the World of Lichens, and for more lichen photos, check out Rock Lichens Revealed.
btweenblinks 
Marvellous photographs Rick. I’ve never seen this type of lichen before, I guess the coexistence with moss is indicative of the need by both organisms for moisture.
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Interesting. I haven’t seen this one either.
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Hurray, lichens!
If you aren’t aware of it, Trevor Goward;s site Ways of Enlichenment appears to be largely up and running now—lots of info and photos to amplify his books.
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Some really nice general information and excellent photos! Appears to be a good resource for visual identification. Thanks for the link!
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Those are sure pretty! I shall have to look for them here.
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Great shots of them, they look really cool! I’ve never seen them before either.
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