Foraging for compost

or, the slow process of soil formation

Lichens are a complex life-form, a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The outer skin and internal structure of a lichen is made of fungal hyphae, while the strands inside the lichen contain individual cells of algae.

Lichens provide shelter and food for other organisms, by way of materials they can use to build their n…