Nature Walk: Lichens & Ice

Lichens are primitive plants that may colonize tree bark, rock surfaces, shingles, tile roofs, or steel implements exposed to the weather. On this old walnut tree the deeply furrowed bark has been coated with ice after a freezing rain. It’s texture is enhanced by the ice and enriched in color by surface wetness. Lichens have a symbiotic relationship with fungi and algae. The fungus is incapable of producing its own food except by decomposition, but through its partnership with algae it is able to produce food by photosynthesis.