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Dormancy and Rejuvenation!Like a desiccated lichen, this site has been dormant for a long while, as lichens drifted out of my life for a time. But they're back-- and fresh winds (and rains) of change are coming, even here to Lovable Local Lichens (and friends). More information, better photos (thanks to improvements in digital cameras since this site was first constructed in, gulp, June 2000), and new adventures will give us a lot more to discover here.
However much I like to think of lichens as unique beings distinct from anything else on the planet (and yes, they still are!), I've recently been reminded that they are, in fact, FUNGI belonging (most of them anyway) to the category ascomycetes. Perhaps it's time to give a nod to lichens' closest relatives, then, and add an exploration of colorful fungi in our forests that have been attracting my attention in recent years.
Look for a new fungus page soon. For now, though, two pages (this and one other) have been updated and new photos added. You'll know them by their new Usnea-Cladonia-Xanthoparmelia green color!
All this improvement, especially new photos, will take time-- so, meanwhile, please explore our original Colorado lichen pages using the links below and the icons at the end of each page.
-- SLW, September 2007
Lichens are some of the most fascinating creatures with which we share this planet. They occur in virtually all habitats and tolerate, or thrive in, a wide range of environments, from the arctic to the tropics, and from aquatic and marine to xeric conditions. Lichens have a host of specialized adaptations that enable them to survive long periods of apparent desiccation, resist high and low temperatures, and still function optimally whenever conditions become appropriate. Some have suggested that if there is life on other planets in our solar system, it may well be in the form of lichens.
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Last Updated: September 2007. Images copyright by S.L. White unless otherwise credited.