Lichen are found on every continent on the planet and the in harshest climates, from the Sahara Desert to Antarctica. Taking form with many different shapes and colors, they are symbiotic organisms made from members of two and sometimes three kingdoms: fungi, algae, and cyanobacteria. The lichen fungi uses one or both of the other two for their food making capability. In exchange, the lichen offers the algae a structure to live in. Fungi and algae can live separately, but they do better together.
As part of the ecosystem, they provide food for some birds and animals and are used by traditional Native American cultures as medicines and dyes. Lichen grow so very slowly that some of them are believed to be among the oldest living things on earth.
So take a look around - on the ground, in the trees, on rocks - and discover the beauty of the lowly lichen.