I taught a Lichenology course spring quarter, and I asked students to create some kind of work to help the world understand how important and generally awesome lichens are. They came up with some fantastic outreach materials.

Allie wrote a song:

Lyrics:
C D
I used to go out walking, climbed on rocks and measured trees
G C
Looked for tracks of animals, heard the buzzing of the bees
C D
Didn’t I was missing something wonderful and strange
F C
But then I was enlichened, and I was forever changed!

C D
Come and be enlichened by these tiny fungi farms
F G C
Come look through my hand lens, awaken to their charms!

C D
First I learned the basics–the crusts and leafs and hair
G C
And how they take in everything that’s floating in the air
C D
How to key a lichen out, test for a metabolite
F C
How in reproduction spore and algae must unite

C D
Come and be enlichened by these tiny fungi farms
F G C
Come look through my hand lens, awaken to their charms!

C D
Later on the lessons starting getting more advanced
G C
Lichens forming soil crusts, lichens on the leaves of plants
C D
Lichens moving round the world on the legs of beasts
F C
And the great new lichen partner, the mystery of yeasts!

C D
Come and be enlichened by these tiny fungi farms
F G C
Come look through my hand lens, awaken to their charms!

C D
Now I go out walking and there’s so much to see!
G C
Xanthoria is glowing on nearly every tree!
C D
I pack my wounds with Usnea, lichens are filling up my car
F C
And I’m laying out the plans for a lichen brandy bar!

C D
Come and be enlichened by these tiny fungi farms
F G C
Come look through my hand lens, awaken to their charms!

 

Lana and Beth made a music video:

Lyrics:
Beth Beyer and Lana Saykali Present: Fresh Lichen of Bel-Air

Now this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I’d like to take a minute
Just sit right there
I’ll tell you how I became lichen lookin out for fresh air

In East Yolo County born and raised,
Being a lichen is how i spent most of my days.
Soredia, isidia, relaxing all cool
chilling with the other lichen outside of the school

When a couple of businesses were up to no good
Started polluting in my neighborhood
I got all shriveled up and my mom got scared
She said you?re moving to the country to get some fresh air

I searched for a tree and when it came near
The tree bark looked fresh and was all in the clear
If anything I say that this site was rare,
But I thought nah forget it,
Yo, I’ve got spores to spare

Sun pulled up in the sky around 7 or 8
And I yelled to the algae, “Yo photosynthesize”
I looked at my Kingdom
I was fungi-ally there
To sit on my throne and breath the fresh air

 

Emma’s lichen infographic:

 

Kevin’s cartoon about Toby Spribille’s discovery that lichens can have a basidiomycete yeast partner:

 

Tobias’s California state lichen poster: 

 

Beth’s lichen song:

YOU ARE MY LICHEN SONG

Set to the tune of “You are my sunshine” by Johnny Cash

The other day pal, as I went hiking
I looked for lichens high and low
And when I came home, I checked my pockets
What do you know? I had found a nice Flavo!

You are my lichen, my very first lichen
You make me happy when you appear
On your edges, is that soredia?
I must take a closer look in my microscope

I’ll always look for you and try to find you
Your home seems to be on trees and rocks
I hope all photobionts can find fungal partners
So they’ll be more lichens poppin’ up in every spot

I found a new lichen, a second lichen!
This one is called Letharia columbiana
You have big apothecia, and a central holdfast
I hope your green color never fades away

I went out again pal, to hunt for lichens
I kept my eyes peeled all around
And what do you know, I found another!
I guess they call this one Parmelia hygrophila

You are my lichen, my third lichen
You are foliose and smooth on top
I found you on an oak tree, out in nature
And you have such a super cool hairy underside

In all my walks downtown in Davis, I seem to find you
But only a few since air quality is poor
You are so orange and small and crusty
You are the awesome species Xanthoria!

You are my lichen, my last lichen today
You absorb nitrogen like a pro
I love to see you in the microscope
How small but detailed you truly are

The end!

Now go out and find some special lichens for your own collection!

 

Chris’s lichen infographic: