Lichens

Britain has over 1,700 species of lichen, almost half of which are rare. They grow very slowly and can live a very long time.

Lichens are composed of two organisms, an alga and a fungus living in harmony, helping each other. This is know as symbiosis.

Many lichens and lower plants are now legally protected and it is an offence to damage them. A great place to see them is in a churchyard. Tombstones provide a variety of stone surfaces and niches for lichens to colonise. Lichens add texture and colour to stone but damage to the stonework by lichens is negligible. In fact lichens may even protect the stone from the worst effects of weathering.

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