Day 135: Mount Rainier National Park hosts quite a variety of Pelt lichens, but one I had never recorded was Peltigera venosa, commonly called Fan Lichen. This Peltigera is unique among its fellows in that it exhibits distinct, raised veins on the underside rather than the rhizines (root-like structures) typical of the genus. In fact, it attaches to the substrate with a single rhizine at the very base of the lobe. One of the easiest Pelts to identify, its bright green colour fades to a dreary grey-green in dry conditions. I discovered it along Westside Road while looking at something else, ironically only a couple of days after remarking to a friend that I had not seen it in the Park. There were only half a dozen "leaves" of this small species present at this site.
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