Species
Wolf Lichen
Fungi
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Wolf lichen, Letharia vulpina, is a fruticose lichenized fungus with a bright yellow-green, shrubby, highly branched growth form that lives on the bark of conifers across western Europe, the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rocky Mountains. Its brilliant color comes from vulpinic acid, a toxic compound that Native American peoples used to make a yellow dye for textiles and art, and that Europeans once used as a poison against wolves and foxes.
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