Two years ago I started this blog to share the beauty I find in unexpected places … in nature … in the human spirit … in highways and back roads. Come with me today into shady corners and exposed rocky outcrops where the small things live. Into a world often bypassed, a world of surprising colour, of other-worldliness, of strange textures and intriguing shapes … an understory of oddity and intriguing beauty ... contemporary art as only nature can paint it.
You’ve probably passed it by a thousand times, this fascinating ecosystem that inhabits almost every type of surface and survives everywhere form the tropics to Polar Regions … the world of lichen.
You’ve probably passed it by a thousand times, this fascinating ecosystem that inhabits almost every type of surface and survives everywhere form the tropics to Polar Regions … the world of lichen.
Supposedly it was Beatrix Potter whose fascination for drawing fungi and lichen led her to be the first to propose that lichen was a symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae. This strange ‘dynamic duo’ of the plant world, is so intimately interconnected that they appear as one single organism. It’s mostly a happy marriage, the algae's photosynthesis producing the sugar and carbohydrates, which the fungi needs and the fungi providing a safe shelter for the algae.
Together they cover approximately 8% of the entire surface of the planet, are considered one of the oldest living things and currently about 25,000 species have been identified. It has no roots, stems or flowers, grows no more than 1mm each year and can live for several centuries.
Together they cover approximately 8% of the entire surface of the planet, are considered one of the oldest living things and currently about 25,000 species have been identified. It has no roots, stems or flowers, grows no more than 1mm each year and can live for several centuries.
Imagine a miniature world where tiny animals find shelter amongst its canopy, animals that become food for spiders and insects, which in turn feed birds. It feeds elk, moose and reindeer in the depths of winter and also desert dwelling animals who scavenge the rocks searching for sustenance. It’s a vital part of the food chain.
But it’s so much more. It can invade bare rock and secrete acid that breaks down the rock to create soil. It extracts nitrogen from air and makes it available for plants. Birds use it to line their nests and squirrels, their burrows.
And man has used it in so many different ways. Some lichen has been found to have antibiotic and anti-viral qualities. Others are being researched for unique sun blocking properties after they were taken into space in 2009 and exposed to the full force of the sun’s radiation for 15 days with no harmful effects.
Lichen has also been used for tanning, clothing, brewing, perfume making, even poisons. It has been used widely for dying wool and silk, beautiful, rich natural dye. Harris Tweed’s characteristic orange colour was traditionally produced using a dye extracted from rock dwelling lichen.
No doubt it was part of the artist’s toolbox in early centuries as he milled all his own paint from nature before the industrial revolution introduced another way.
But it’s so much more. It can invade bare rock and secrete acid that breaks down the rock to create soil. It extracts nitrogen from air and makes it available for plants. Birds use it to line their nests and squirrels, their burrows.
And man has used it in so many different ways. Some lichen has been found to have antibiotic and anti-viral qualities. Others are being researched for unique sun blocking properties after they were taken into space in 2009 and exposed to the full force of the sun’s radiation for 15 days with no harmful effects.
Lichen has also been used for tanning, clothing, brewing, perfume making, even poisons. It has been used widely for dying wool and silk, beautiful, rich natural dye. Harris Tweed’s characteristic orange colour was traditionally produced using a dye extracted from rock dwelling lichen.
No doubt it was part of the artist’s toolbox in early centuries as he milled all his own paint from nature before the industrial revolution introduced another way.
I love the way lichen splashes itself across the landscape with such vivid abandon. I love its quirky beauty. It reminds me that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, that it defies all expectations and preconceived ideas. Often it is small and we miss its wonder. Sometimes beauty is whimsical and mysterious and surprising. Sometimes it challenges me to look deeper and see beyond the external to the heart of things.
And it reminds me that we need each other, that in mutuality we can create even greater beauty.
Be open to the amazingly complex and unique world of lichen and be surprised by its beauty and diversity ... its all around us waiting to be enjoyed.
And it reminds me that we need each other, that in mutuality we can create even greater beauty.
Be open to the amazingly complex and unique world of lichen and be surprised by its beauty and diversity ... its all around us waiting to be enjoyed.
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