Vulpicida canadensis “Canadian Fox Killer/Brown-eyed Sunshine Lichen”
Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor (BLM), MT
April 23, 2014
Robert Niese
Members of the genus Vulpicida, like Wolf Lichen in the genus Letharia, contain usnic acid and vulpinic acid which gives them their characteristic neon yellow color. Also like Letharia, members of Vulpicida are also somewhat toxic and are associated with some Icelandic and Scandinavian folk tales where they’re used to kill foxes. This species is quite common in our PNW Ponderosa Pinelands and is normally found on small twigs alongside the metallic black lichen, Cetraria merrillii.
Northwest Naturalist 