Lichens are not single organisms like a robin or daffodil, but stable communities involving a fungus and an alga
(or cyanobacteria, ‘blue green alga’).
Recent research suggests there are bacteria and yeasts too. The fungus
provides ‘structure’; the alga makes sugars (food).
Lichens provide texture on trees, rocks and walls. They are beautiful, fascinating and enigmatic, and found almost everywhere.
This guide will help you explore the litchens you might find in woodland belonging to Friends of the Lake District and elsewhere.
