Discover the Wonder: Top 13 Amazing Fun Facts About Lichen You Never Knew

1. Humidity? No problem!

Hey, who turned off the humidity?! No worries, lichens have got this covered: These resilient organisms can thrive in extreme environments like the Arctic's icy embrace or lofty mountain peaks, and can even go without water for months by simply sipping moisture from the air.
Source => byjus.com

2. Sloth-Approved Growth

If lichen were a sloth's mentor, the sloth would be proud: the growth of lichen is incredibly dependent on moisture and temperature conditions, usually clocking in a leisurely 0.5 - 8 mm per year in temperate areas. These crafty growth patterns vary seasonally and annually, leading from their juvenile stage to a mature, wise thallus that embraces their environment's unique vibe.
Source => sciencedirect.com

Did you know that moss has its own "spore d' amour" for reproduction? Discover the fascinating microscopic world of moss love!

=> Fun Facts about Moss

3. Lichen: Air Pollution Detectives

Lichen to the party: these green guys might just be the life of the atmospheric soiree, but they're also the ultimate snitches of air pollution! In all seriousness: lichens, as symbiotic organisms of algae and fungi, are highly sensitive to aerial impurities like nitrogen deposition, and thus serve as valuable bio-indicators for scientists to monitor air quality and pinpoint pollution sources.
Source => nps.gov

4. Judge Them by Their Cover

Whoever said "you can't judge a book by its cover" clearly never studied lichen: these unassuming organisms actually moonlight as air quality detectives, absorbing pollutants to help scientists assess the impacts of air pollution on ecosystems and human health.
Source => fs.usda.gov

5. Fungi Stealing Parenthood Dreams

In the world of lichen love, it's all about fungi being the "fun guys" while algae watch their dreams of parenthood vanish into thin chlorophyll: Lichens consist of two or more species from different kingdoms, and during reproduction, the dominant fungal partner gets to develop fruiting bodies and spores to form new lichen, while the algal partner misses out on having babies and must find a new fungus companion or face doom.
Source => fs.usda.gov

6. Lichen Long-Distance Athletes

In the game of life, lichens are the ultimate long-distance athletes, barely breaking a sweat as they casually stroll through the millennia: these seemingly ordinary organisms can live for thousands of years, with some Arctic-dwelling crustose yellow-green map lichens estimated to be around 8,600 years old, making them invaluable tools for dating geological features and tracking climate change.
Source => homeguides.sfgate.com

7. Lichens Breaking Rocks

Who said lichens were boring, "lichen it or not": Some lichen species produce organic acids that help break down rocks and minerals, leading to the creation of secondary minerals and contributing to soil formation – though, their full impact on geology remains a bit of a rocky mystery.
Source => sciencedirect.com

8. Cooking Lichen with Tribe Mates

You've heard of breaking bread with friends, but what about breaking lichen with tribe mates? Feast your taste buds on this: Indigenous peoples in North America have long been using the edible lichen Bryoria fremontii, or wila, as a staple food, cooking it in pits and incorporating it into stews and soups for a cultural, flavorful experience.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

9. Lichen in Outer Space

When lichen boldly go where no plant has gone before, they reveal their secret superpower: Xanthoria elegans, a type of lichen, survived on the International Space Station for one and a half years, enduring cosmic radiation, vacuum conditions, and even simulating ancient Mars conditions, with 71% of it remaining viable upon returning to Earth. This out-of-this-world organism could provide us with valuable clues about how life might evolve in extraterrestrial conditions, or how it possibly originated on ancient Mars.
Source => phys.org

10. Camel of the Fungi Kingdom

Like a camel of the fungi kingdom, lichens might just be nature's ultimate "hold my beer" trick: These tough fellows can thrive in extreme climates, such as deserts and high altitudes, by slowing their metabolic processes to a crawl for prolonged periods.
Source => njaes.rutgers.edu

11. Lichen Cooking Tips and Cautions

If you ever find yourself in a lichen-eating competition, remember to bring your boiling pot and beware of antique lichen: Unprepared and raw lichen can wreak havoc on your stomach, requiring a soak in water with bicarbonate of soda or hardwood ashes, an extended boiling process, and another water change before cooking to reach a yummy gelatinous state. As slow growers – think hundreds or thousands of years – lichen can accumulate pollution, so skip snacking on city slicker lichen and stick to admiring their fascinating features or using them as kindling and dish garden decorations.
Source => eattheweeds.com

12. Lichen: Invertebrates' Best Friend

If lichens had a dating app, their profile would read "a supportive partner looking for love, even with the not-so-creepy-crawlies": Lichens play a vital role in the lives of many invertebrates, such as mites, barklice, beetles, slugs, and snails, providing them with food, and in turn, the invertebrates aid in lichen dispersal. However, some species of lichens contain bitter compounds that deter feasting by herbivores – it's like having pre-installed bug repellent! The symbiotic relationships lichens share within ecosystems contribute significantly to the biodiversity and ecological health of their surroundings.
Source => sharnoffphotos.com

13. Celtic Lichen and Urine Dye Party

Before the days of Tide-to-Go and colorfast fabrics, our fashion-forward Celtic ancestors threw a little "urine luck" party to lock in their luscious lichen hues: In July and August, they harvested lichens and fermented them with stale urine for up to three weeks over low heat, making a brown and purple dye that wouldn't easily fade.
Source => marariley.net