One important feature of outdoor nature schools is having one (or sometimes two or three) pieces of land that the children visit over a long period of time, such as a school year. As the seasons change, we’re able to notice and talk about differences in the forest that we see every day. After storms, some paths are flooded and small creeks appear – where does that water come from? Where does it go? Plants bloom, mushrooms pop up, and lichens add colors. All of these things are noticed when one knows the land!
My dog and I walk most of the paths through our forest every morning and changes usually stand out immediately. However, today I instantly spotted these red topped lichens growing on a fallen log as we rounded a corner of a path I’ve walked countless times. I never noticed them before and had no idea what they were! After consulting numerous lichen websites, my best guess is this is Lipstick Powderhorn – Cladonia macilenta. And then I started noticing lichens everywhere – long strands of witch’s hair (Alectoria sarmentosa), elk horn lichens on tree limbs (Evernia prunastri), some type of beard lichen (Usnea ?) on so many trees, and this beautiful lichen I had also somehow bypassed –
lung lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria) on alder trees around our wetland marshy area. With all these lichens and with lichens being a good indicator of air quality, I’d say the forest has great air!
Songbird Nature School 