The common lichen can be uncommonly beautiful. It is also more complicated than it seems, consisting of two or more organisms that live together. Most interesting, while lichens seem to grow anywhere, even on bare rock, they are good monitors of air quality.
3 comments:
I like the color on those!
So, does lots of lichen mean good air quality or bad? Or is it the color that is the indicator?
bfarr, I was afraid someone would ask that! LOL! Anyhow, the U.S. Forest Service has a National Lichens and Air Quality Database which you can access on the Internet. Lichens absorb pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, and some of the more sensitive lichens disappear...same thing for too much fluorine, metals, etc. An abundance and wide variety of lichens indicate good air.
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