I was out hiking in the desert, got to the peak of this mountain and looked across to another arm. On the side of the cliff it looked like someone had smeared bright yellow paint all over. So I went over to climb down an investigate (nearly dying in the process) and lo and behold it was a bunch of lichen. In total over a meter square of it in the middle of nowhere. It was on the north-facing side, so less sun. The other plants nearby were some creosote, and some other coniferous bush which I had also never seen before (I'm generally working at a lower elevation). This is in the Sonoran Desert in California near the border of Arizona. So thought you guys might be curious. I'll post one pic here and the rest on photo bucket. There were more patches than are in the pictures. http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/gothamXI/yellow lichen/ hopefully this will somewhat redeem me of my pseudo-lichen balloon post.
I'm not the best at lichens...but am slowling learning....... The yellow is possibly Acarospora schleicheri The grayish maybe Dimelaena radiata?
o cool, two for one! i thought the gray one was just the dead leftovers of the yellow one. There also looks like there is something black growing in there.
Yes, the black one is a lichen as well -- and perhaps the brown one, too. So 3, perhaps 4, lichens. Acarospora schleicheri seems to be a good match (read this article)