Lichen Foray Report

Theresa Halula

Lichens are members of the fungi kingdom, mutualists or symbiotes, living as partners sharing resources between organisms, conceptually similar to the more often discussed mycorrhizae.  1,900 species of lichens that living in California. The March Lichen Foray found representative species from three basic groups known as foliose, fruticose, squamulose, and crustose lichens.

Lichen are composed of a thallus [body] and a holdfast [foot]. A lichen is not one single organism; they form as a symbiotic relationship of a photobiont such as green algae or less commonly cyanobacteria and one, two or more mycobionts.

The foliose lichens are “leafy” looking seen frequently on trees and shrubs. These are loosely attached can be picked off the surface they are growing on. Foliose lichens attach loosely at several points of the substrate.

Fruticose lichens attach at one point and form long dangling structures (thalli) or shorter shrubby thalli. The long green lichens you see dangling from oaks our region are fruticose lichens.

Finally, crustose lichens are usually seen growing on rock, fences, houses, or other substrates.

Lichens, like other fungi species, are deeply embedded in our ecosystems and are important members of most habitats or living communities.  These are utilized by many creatures for food and building material.  For example, deer, squirrel, and wild turkey eat lichen.  Some arthropods, slugs and snails are efficient grazers of lichens. At least 50 species of birds (hummingbirds, mergansers, thrushes, chickadees, hawks, etc.) use lichens as nesting material. Lichens provide a protective habitat for many insects.

Humans have used lichen to dye textiles for millennia.  These dyes are more color fast than vegetable dyes and offer a wide range of color to textile craft persons.

https://www.inaturalist.org/people/junicolumbiagorgeous 
Letharia vulpina, Wolf Lichen