Shingled Rock Shield Lichen is a foliose lichen commonly found on the BC coast. It is pale green with brown circular formations when young.
The body of the lichen is composed of pale green leafy-shaped structures. They are small and flat against the rock, not upright, although they can be pulled off. Young ones may be thinner and more curly while mature ones are wider and flatter. When they are in a young stage of life, roughly circular orange-brown craters will be present in the body. These fade and finally disappear with age.
Shingled rock shield is found in all parts of North America. It is also found in other continents, notably Asia. A shingled rock shield, as its name indicates, is most often found on rocks. But it will grow on branches, bark, and the trunks of trees as well.