Different Neighbors, Different Gifts, Better Together

Think of someone who is different from you in a number of ways, yet is someone with whom you work well and whose gifts compliment your own in ways that have allowed you to be more productive together than either of you could be alone. Lichens, being made of nutrient gathering fungi as well as photosynthetic algae and/or photosynthetic nitrogen-fixing Cyanobacteria are an example of that sort of relationship. If you celebrate difference, you may find lichens to be your “spirit animal.” For about the past 250 million years lichens have been pushing the limits of what's possible when very different neighbors with very different gifts work together. This Earth Day, I’m thankful for the way that the biology of lichens helps to inform the way I want to live in community. Look for lichens growing on tree bark, rocks, and soil. If you’ve never taken the time to notice them, you’ll quickly realize they are incredibly abundant and diverse in just about every environment from the city to the big woods and beyond. What I’ve just shared only scratches the surface of all there is to marvel at about the biology and behavior of lichens. Happy Earth Day!