Lichens

Lichens are really unique because they are composed of a fungal species and an algal or cyanobacterial species. The fungus provides a net that the photosynthetic partner (algae or cyanobacteria) live within. The food made by the algae or cyanobacteria is then shared, or perhaps stolen, by the fungus. The result is a “dual organism” that can survive on surfaces that most organisms find quite inhospitable, like rocks and tree bark.

Join Georgia lichenologists, Malcolm Hodges and Sean Beeching, as they search for crustose, foliose, fruiticose, and squamulose lichens. You will be amazed by all the different colors you’ll see, and surprised by how many lichens you’ve never noticed before. Lichen identification involves some neat observations too, like looking for a color change when exposed to bleach or checking for fluorescence with a UV light. Visit the lichen identification station to see how it’s done.