This introduction to the biology, ecology and diversity of lichens will begin in the classroom with an introduction to lichens and a discussion of some of the ways and places that lichens grow. Then we will go on a short walk to find some of the common lichens of Maryland and demonstrate how to collect, label, and store specimens. The class will conclude back in the classroom viewing the features of the lichens we’ve collected under the microscopes and using keys to identify them. NOTE: Participants will also have the option to bring their own specimens to identify.
Natalie Howe has been studying lichens with high or low intensity for the past 14 years, and currently lives in Washington DC. She is a Biological Scientist at the U.S.D.A., and an adjunct teacher of Mushrooms, Molds, and Society class at George Mason University. In the pre-Covid times, she was volunteering with the lichen team at Patuxent Research Refuge in MD, Rock Creek Park in DC and at Liberty State Park in NJ to document the lichens there. For her dissertation research at Rutgers University in New Jersey, she studied the ecology of lichens in the NJ Pinelands.
Recommended text: Urban Lichens: A Field Guide for Northeastern North America Paperback – November 23, 2021 – by . Purchase is optional. Copies will be available during the class for reference.
Refunds will not be issued for cancellations made within 7 days of the start of the class.
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