Learning about lichen

Master naturalist leads workshop

PLEASANT VALLEY — It’s said that troops at Valley Forge in 1777 put lichen in their soup in an effort to eke out more nutrition from their meager diet.

Master Naturalist Juan Sanchez shared that tidbit as well as other lichen lore with dozens of participants at a program hosted by the Peoples State Forest Nature Museum in Pleasant Valley.

With names such as “Smokey Blue Eyes,” and “Old Man’s Beard,” the picturesque lichen is an odd life form.

It consists of two separate organisms, Sanchez said, a fungus and an alga. Scientists classify it as a member of the Fungus Kingdom.

Northwest Connecticut contains an abundance of the fungus. Botany students from the University of Connecticut have classified up to 100 species of lichen in the Great Mountain Forest in Norfolk.

Following a Powerpoint presentation by Sanchez on how to recognize lichen, the group set off to test their ability to identify what was what.

Several types of lichen were found just steps away from the door, growing on the stone walls of the nature museum. Melissa Urda of Barkhamsted, who belongs to a mycology club, spotted an endolichenic fungi.

“The lichen grows inside the rock,” Sanchez said. A close look revealed small black dots on the surface of the rock. “Those are loaded with spores,” he noted.

The group then walked up the Agnes Bowen Trail, where lichen could be found on nearly every tree or rock. One type, Punctelia rudecta, looks like lettuce. The romantic sounding “Smokey Blue Eyes,” is “basically painted on the rock,” Sanchez said. “You can’t remove it without some of the rock coming off. The spores have a bluish cast.”

With magnifying loupes, or lens, in hand, the lichen hunters studied fallen branches, the forest floor and boulders to learn about the color, texture and characteristics of lichen.

Sanchez, who founded the state’s Master Naturalist Program at Goodwin Conservation Center in Hampton, said the lichen presentation was the first he given at the nature center. “I want to expose people to the world of lichen, to help them learn by discovering and looking.”

Willow Schulde, 12, of Litchfield, said exhibits in the nature center helped her learn about plants and different animals. When the group walked up the trail, she carefully examined the variety of lichen.

“I learned there are different types of lichen,” she said. “They are made up of alga and fungus.”

Her brother Rowan, 12, was impressed with the nature center. “I’ve never seen antlers, or a bison,” he said. “All of these nature artifacts are incredible. They’re from all over.”

The nature center was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. During construction, the members stayed at White Camp in the nearby American Legion Forest, said Janet Bumsted, the center’s curator. She noted the center is the best attraction in the forest.

“On a good weather day, we get about 20 visitors,” she said.

Lance Hansen, a center volunteer and an employee of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, pointed out the uniqueness of the center’s interior. All the materials used in the building were sourced locally, he said. The walls are built from chestnut wood taken from trees that died from chestnut blight in the early 1900s. The large structural beams are made of oak and the flagstones are original as well.

The center is open every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The programs are supported by the Friends of American Legion and Peoples State Forests Inc. They are sponsoring a monarch butterfly tagging demonstration from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Sundayat the center on Greenwoods Road in Pleasant Valley.

For more information, contact Hansen at 860-8829632.

Registration is not necessary, but encouraged. To sign up, email ctfalps@gmail.com

Leslie Hutchison / Hearst Connecticut Media A lichen called “Smoky Blue Eyes,” grows on a tree in Peoples State Forest.

Master Naturalist Juan Sanchez uses a magnifying loupe to identify lichen growing on an old branch.

Leslie Hutchison / Hearst Connecticut Media Left, a good-natured Michael Gilchrist, of Barkhamsted, poses with “Old Man’s Beard” lichen during a naturalist walk at Peoples State Forest. At right, Sandy Elson-Slienner, of Barkhamsted, uses a magnifying loupe to identify lichen at Peoples State Forest.