Course: Lichens for Beginners

This beginner lichens course will introduce you to these fascinating and compelling life-forms, and teach you some of the skills you need to recognise and identify them.

Lichens could be the poster child for neglected biodiversity. Even though they’re all around us, few people really notice them. But we should! Lichens aren’t just strange and beautiful, they also play an outsized ecological role. What’s more, they are unique on Earth. They are neither fungus, nor plant, nor even organisms in the usual sense, and entering the lichen world is like exploring a fascinating new planet.

This course will include:

• An introduction to lichens
• Lichen typology, structure and reproduction
• The lichen symbiosis
• Observing and collecting lichens in the field
• Elementary lab techniques for identifying lichens
• How to describe and record lichens

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Understand lichen types, structure and reproduction
• Understand the fundamentals of the lichen symbiosis
• Recognise and observe lichens in the field
• Photograph and appropriately collect lichens for further study
• Use elementary lab techniques to help identify lichens
• Describe lichens in proper and accurate terms
• Identify and record some common lichens
• Appreciate the beauty of lichens all around you!

This course is eligible for a student discount. If you are a current student, please use the discount code BioStudent20 at checkout for 20% off.

Please refer to the Field Studies Council website for further information and to book.