Liking the Lichen!

By Jennifer Harnden January 2024

It was lovely to see all of the Lichen growing in a small woodland area in the New Forest which I visited recently.  It was everywhere and I just had to take some photographs of this wonderful lichen scene I was experiencing!

Believe me, I am certainly no expert on lichen, so, without getting scientific, from my understanding, lichen is a very good thing for many different ‘walks’ of life, such as they are good for plants, animals, fungi, humans… etc in a number of different ways.

There are so many different types of lichen and they can be found on soil, tree trunks and branches, rocks, and gravestones! They are a complex and interesting group of organisms, made up of a combination of fungi and algae living in a healthy partnership, coming in all sorts of types, shapes, sizes and colours!

Lichens from my understanding, are non-parasitic and do not harm any plants that they grow on and I’ve read that they can get the nutrients they need from rainwater and dust.   Woods rich in lichen I believe can support an array of wildlife, and can provide nesting material for birds, food and shelter for invertebrates, which in turn feed other creatures.    Lichens have been used to help humans for many years, used in traditional medicines for example, and can also be used as an indicator of air quality from an environmental point of view.  Most lichens are sensitive to air pollution so won't grow where there is a lot of pollution, however, there are types that do.  Another interesting key fact is that lichens provide a means to converting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through photosynthesis into oxygen, which we all need to survive!   We need the lichens in this world!

Whenever you see lichen on trees, it is really good to know that it is generally doing so much good, and so we are best to leave it to let it continue to grow and live.  If it was to be removed from the tree, it may actually do more harm than good,  the bark of the tree may be then injured, causing disease and provide entry ways for diseases and pests.   When you see it growing in masses in a woodland, on both living and dead wood, I really do think it  looks so beautiful.  Ancient woodlands are particularly good for lichen as they can grow undisturbed. They are very slow growing, some less than 1mm per year!    

There are literally thousands of species of lichen growing (very slowly) in places all over the world.  As much as 'we need them', I personally wouldn't recommend touching any unless of course guided by an expert in this field. As there are so many varieties of lichen on this planet, I am sure that some that will be poisonous to both humans and animals. Always seek advice from the experts.

Can anyone identify the lovely looking types of lichen I saw recently from these photographs I wonder?

A small note about lichens on stone - Just a little note to acknowledge that we have all seen the deterioration lichens can cause to the stone on head stones in church graveyards, this is due to the excretion of various organic acids and can be quite upsetting and a nuisance for some people.

Signposting to some assistance and guidance

The British Lichen Society have a really useful website that can provide assistance and guidance about the management of specific lichen problem areas, such as in graveyards. The website also provides important conservation facts about these much-needed slow growing life forms!