Soft Color Against Bark - Lois Nestel Archive

 From Lois Nestel's Wayside Wanderings archives:

"How true are the words of an old Welsh poet who said, 'Oh Lord, thou wert a little unkind to make these dales and vales so beautiful and the days of the shepherd so few.' Perhaps, though, man himself is more unkind in being unmindful of that beauty.

"On winter walks when much plant life is hidden beneath snow, one of my favorite plant families stands out in plain view: The little known and less appreciated tree dwelling lichens.

"These patches of soft color on the tree trunks…everyone has seen them, yet have they really? Have you ever looked closely at the rosette forms of Parmelia lichen, like embroidered doilies in pearly shades of green or blue or muted yellows, pinks and tans? Their textures and designs are not less beautiful than the most elaborately designed lace.

"Rough-barked trees like pines may have from a few to hundreds of lichens, from dot size to those larger than dinner plates. Smooth barked trees such as often have golden patches of Yellow Shield lichen, its fruiting bodies minute saucer shapes on a foliose background.

"Numerous species of shield lichen and twig lichen abound, some with leaf forms, some coral-like, others granular, curded or leather-like. Beard and hair lichen hang in tufts from many trees and are especially noticeable in bog evergreens.

"Thousands of species exist, creating a miniature world too seldom noticed, a world of surprise and pleasure. For full appreciation try viewing them through a magnifying glass and add a new dimension to your world."

Even in the frozen period of winter, lichens brighten up the forest if you look closely.

Lichens of all forms, colors and textures take hold on our forest surfaces - present throughout all moments of the year for us to observe and appreciate. But as Lois notes, have we really seen them? I encourage you to spend some time in their tiny and glorious world. 

I was afforded the opportunity to attend an outing specifically dedicated to viewing lichens a few years ago, when lichenologist Mary Barkowiak of the UWSP Freckmann Herbarium visited the Northwoods. Her program through the Museum was a delightful and bitterly cold trip to a local property where we turned our necks upwards, squinted our eyes, and counted one, two, five, eight, and sometimes over ten species on a single tree. We'd then look closely at any within eye level. And we did view them through a magnifying glass - which certainly added a new dimension to our world. You can view some close up images of local lichen species from that day in our Facebook album titled "Lichens Under a Microscope."

This was one of my very first days on the job as the Museum's Curator/Naturalist. What a start to a new gig!

British soldiers (Cladonia cristatella) viewed under a digital microscope. This lichen was not collected in Cable, our instructor brought it to show and tell.

For a more tactile experience, I attempted (and struggled) to use lichens as a natural dye material the following summer. While I would urge anyone to not to collect lichens specifically for this purpose, it may be more appropriate to do so if they happen to fall with their host twigs after a storm and are doomed for "cleanup." Those who don't have the vested interest in taking on this skill can still appreciate the dye potential of lichens at the Museum. We maintain a collection of various dyed yarns and the lichens who donated their dye properties - prepared by none other than Lois Nestel herself. 

All the wool yarn bundles pictured here were dyed with the same lichen species. During the dyeing process, modifiers (like salt, baking soda, and cooper) can be used to adjust the resulting colors to varying degrees.