And the story goes ...

19 January 2006: Rain, rain, go away so we can go out and play! But, the lichens are loving it. Lichens are a fungus, usually of the class Ascomycetes, that grow symbiotically with algae, resulting in composite organisms that characteristically form crustlike or branching growths on rocks or tree trunks. Because there is so much rain here in the Pacific Northwest in the winter months, many of the trees are covered with lichens that have been found useful by both animals and people. To learn more about lichens, please visit Lichens of North America. Click on the photo to see more images in our galleries of mountains and forests.