Lichens -- a combo of fungus and algae -- can grow on bare rocks, so scientists thought that lichens were some of the first organisms to make their way onto land from the water, changing the planet's ...

They are chartreuse and vivid orange, velvety black and speckled red. They are shaped like ruffles, flowers, golf tees, tiny volcanoes, and even letters. And most people never notice them. Those who ...

Gardeners and homeowners often contact our Horticulture Hotline at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Oriskany when they notice a grayish blue-green crusty or mossy looking growth on trees, shrubs, ...

Lichens growing on substrates with different chemical properties have a different spectrum of secondary metabolites. This is probably how lichens adapt to unfavorable conditions - low pH of the ...

'British soldier' lichen growing on rock. (Clay Wollney) For the most part, lichens growing on trees is a good thing, not harmful to the trees. However, weak or dying trees may have a lot of lichens, ...

I know many of us want winter to come to an end, but I would like just one more good snowstorm. I love all seasons, but I need a little more of that winter bleakness in the woods, primarily to help me ...

Lichens are nearly everywhere — odd growths that appear as crusty patches and splotches on tree trunks, limbs, rocks, bare soil, stone walls, tombstones, wooden fences. Regardless, lichens often get ...

Lichens cover about 6% of the world’s land surface. You’ve probably noticed them growing in the shade on rocks. The thallus of a lichen is considered the lichen’s body, not including the parts ...

When I moved to the Ozarks for graduate school in 1989, the place terrified me. First there was the Pig Trail, which is what the locals call the stretch of highway between Alma and Fayetteville, ...

The role of soil and forests in greenhouse gas sequestration has been studied for a long time. However, forests are also home to invisible organisms that may affect the climate. "Soil, water and ...

Lichens are the curious result of cohabitation between algae and fungi. Biologist Frank Bungartz tells DW about his passion for lichens - and why seeing them disappear should ring alarm bells. DW: You ...