Looking for a Winter activity for those short days in Seattle? Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on headstones and trees in cemeteries and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of gravestones. Cemeteries can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae. You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.
Always wondered about what lichens are and why they are found on your trees and Rhododendrons? Lichens are harmless to your plants and add aesthetic value to trees and shrubs. We can actually use them as indicators of air pollution! Join Dr. Katherine Glew and the UW Botanic Garden on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at Mount Pleasant Cemetery on Queen Anne Hill to get a head start on learning lichens from your local cemetery. You can enjoy the winter season by looking for lichens rather than staying inside and missing out on the excitement of being outside. Cost: $30
Register Online or by phone (206-685-8033) Instructor Katherine Glew, Ph.D. is Curatorial Associate of Lichens at the University of Washington Herbarium, Burke Museum. She manages historic collections and processes lichens from the Pacific Northwest and Russian Far East. In addition to assisting with lichen curation, her research interests include alpine lichen community structure on Mount Rainier, Olympic National Park, North Cascades and lichens found on the smaller islands in Washington's San Juan Archipelago. 
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