Vulpicida pinastri

Vulpicida pinastri is a small foliose lichen with yellow coloration, especially around the edges of its lobes. The yellow margin is a useful clue when looking at it on tree bark.

It commonly grows as an epiphyte on pine and other trees in boreal or northern woodland habitats. Its preference for northern forests matches its common association with conifer bark.

The lichen produces vulpinic acid, a toxic secondary metabolite. Its chemistry is one reason Vulpicida species are discussed in lichen identification and natural-products research.

It is foliose, with a flattened, leafy thallus and lobes rather than a three-dimensional bush. The yellow coloration and tree-bark habitat help separate it from many gray foliose lichens.