#lichen asks

[lichenaday]

hey you said that you study lichen, does that include growing them? my mum keeps trying to grow lichen off fallen branches and they just die. does anyone know how to grow them?

So my lab is one of many lichen lab groups trying to grow lichens and like, no, you really can't. Even with our super specialized equipment and knowledge and light and climate and humidity controls, we can only grow lichens for a short amount of time. Lichens function on a completely different time-scale than a lot of other organisms. They grow very slowly, and so adapt pretty precisely to where they are. And if something in their environment changes or they move to a new location, their first response is to go into a dormant state and wait for conditions to improve, and if possible, slowly adapt to these new conditions outside the scale of human observation. I am talking like, decades of slow progress. We also think that the microorganisms associated with lichens might play a more key role in their growth than we are aware of, but that is just a theory. Don't quote me on that. We still aren't entirely sure. Lots of folks are trying to figure this out in light of climate change and expanding habitat degradation--both to better understand lichen adaptability and ecophysiological responses to this rapidly changing world, and to house and cultivate endangered species before we lose them in nature.

Also as a side note, there's a cafe in my town that has a "moss wall" that is just Cladonia lichen dyed green (the kind you often find in craft stores). The waiter there was like "It's living! We spray it every day so it stays healthy!" and I was just like . . . girl ok whatever.

[liches-covered-in-lich]

Not even op but you coincidentally "accidentally" commented that on a harry potter post that was meant for a different harry potter post.

From your comment it seems like you dont like harry potter or its fans so what a damn coincidence you have two harry potter posts either on your dash or you are searching for them.

Not only are you commenting negativity on peoples posts, you are instead of deleting your comment, posting more comments about how it was a "mistake".

Even if it was a mistake what makes one harry potter fan worse than the other when all you said was "ew a harry potter fan" implying all of them are gross.

Just shut up with your virtue signaling and delete your comments

1) I can't delete comments on tumblr mobile, it's a glitch I got

2) So what happened with that whole comment thing is that I was trying to reply to a fandom post complaining about Harry Potter fandom stuff by saying "ew Harry potter fan". But for some reason tumblr glitched and made me reply to some artist's post. So I put in an apology but that apology got put into the fandom post. Hence my confusion and apologies. If I could delete the wrong comments, i would. But tumblr is held together by glue and toothpicks, so I can't

3) I don't follow nor look for Harry potter content as HP is lame and directly funds a holocaust denying terf who is using her money to hurt marginalized groups. I follow Fandomproblems because it's interesting at times, and it happened to have a post about Harry potter and I wanted to be petty

4) Yes, all Harry Potter fans are bad. I'm sorry that a children's book series that is directly funding the murder and discrimination of trans people are bad, anon. Sorry to have to break it to you that Harry Potter fans are generally bad and don't care about anyone else but their mid-tier fantasy stories and "childhood nostalgia" :( Hope you get better soon. Maybe upgrade to Bionicle Books? Or even Warrior Cats?

[firelightfoxes]

Hey, I love your blog and Lichen is freaking adorable😭❤️

So, I’ll probably never have a Mudi bc 1. I live in the US, and they’re pretty much nonexistent here, and 2. I’m trying to do rescues only. But! I really love these little guys, and I’m super curious: how much do they actually shed? Also, I’ve read in a lot of places that they’re one of those breeds that always needs a job; has that been true in your experience with Lichen?

Thanks!

hi!!! first off thank you :)) she's very cute i agree!

so, i also live in the US. there are a few good breeders here in the states - off the top of my head, depending on where you're located, there is a breeder in Texas, 2 in North Carolina i think, one in the California area (not sure exactly where), there might be some more that i forgot but honestly they're not that hard to acquire, especially compared to other rare breeds.

but i totally understand going with a rescue, Ava is my first dog and she's a rescue too. she's been such an awesome learning experience to fine tune what i really wanted in a dog, and i ended up landing on mudi for my next breed (and i absolutely LOVE them.)

as far as shedding goes, she definitely sheds less than Ava (husky mix, so she sheds a LOT). but the areas around her crate and bed usually have quite a bit of hair around them and i vacuum weekly. so she does shed but it's not like an obnoxious amount for me personally

i don't really think she NEEDS a job... she just loves me and wants to do everything with me. mudis in general are super attached to their people and are great companions for whatever activities they enjoy together. Lichen has an excellent off-switch so for example, i was sick all last week and Lichen was bored but she just napped/hung out with me and was happy to entertain herself with her toys. she's actually never gotten destructive or chewed anything outside of toys, aside from when she was like 8wks and chewed the flooring in her xpen lol. i will say it depends a lot on the lines as some mudi are very high energy and high drive and will not be satisfied in a low energy household. they can also tend to get very vocal when they're bored or understimulated which doesn't sound like a fun time to me. thankfully Lichen is very quiet, i was very careful about her parents not being obnoxious barkers and i've worked with her since she was 8 wks to have a "quiet" cue.

sorry for rambling but i hope this helps answer your question!! if you'd like specific breeder recs feel free to dm me :)

[botanyshitposts]

Wisconsin lichens will take one look at a grill cover and start growing all over it in direct defiance of everyone trying to grow lichens in a lab

i know this is an ask about the weird choice of substrate but I’m just really distracted by the sheer density here. just looking at this admiring how much they’re enjoying the grill cover but not the painted logo on the grill cover because it doesn’t have the right slightly degraded microplastic blend or something. I’ve seen whole trees with fewer lichens. what are they cooking in the Weber grill cover labs man

[mycoblogg]

Whats the difference between lichen, moss, mould and mushrooms if they're all fungus? Aren't they all the same sorta thing?

so, interestingly, all of these groups are very different !! instead of naming the differences, let me quickly explain what exactly these organisms are.

lichen :

lichens are symbiotic organisms, meaning they are in themselves the product of a relationship between different organisms. to simplify it, lichens are big part fungus, & smaller part algae (protista) or cyanobacteria (monera). these different forms of life together create lichen, which grows on trees, rocks, leaves, mosses & sometimes other lichens !! to read more about lichens, check out @/lichenaday's blog :-)

moss :

mosses are actually not fungi at all !! they are small, flowerless plants. they grow on trees & in soil. :-)

mould :

mould is a type of structure that fungi can form - it is entirely fungal. it reproduces through airborne spores :-) there are many different types of mould ; some are toxic, some are used medicinally, & some are saprotrophs. (note : slime moulds & water moulds are unrelated to fungal moulds !!)

mushrooms :

so, lots of people think mushrooms are a species of fungus, but they are not. "mushroom" refers to the fruiting body of a fungus ; what a mushroom is to a fungus is comparable to what a flower is to a tree - the part that reproduces !! not all fungi produce mushrooms (e.g. moulds, which do not have fruiting bodies as the entire organism is able to release spores). there are currently only 14 000 discovered fungi that produce mushrooms !! more fungi that don't produce mushrooms include mildew, yeast & lichen.

so, yes !! they're all quite different in structure, cells & function in the ecosystem.

[plaguedocboi]

What do you know about lichen?

Thanks for asking! Here’s an article I wrote!

This is just an overview, though, and lichen is honestly so weird. It’s so fucking weird. They’ve got shit going on that’s just straight up incomprehensible, some eldritch shit.

[jbbartram-illu]

Would you be open to sharing your lichen tattoo? That sounds awesome!

Totally!! I love showing it off & as a bonus (?) I'll also throw in my latest tattoo (from february), a hand-poked Lascaux horse (I plan to add two more so I have a small bicep-herd)!

Lichen:

& Lascaux-horse (the closeup was from right after it was done, so it's a little angry-looking...I still need a proper fully-healed photo, but the awkward, look ma, same horse! snapshot is all I have for now)

[c-kiddo]

Hi! First time caller here.

I guess I just wanted to ask what you think about the fact that in Caduceus comic / whole series the whole Clay family is pink haired? I can't really pinpoint the source now, but I thought it was dyed pink? Like there was a canon scene about it, from what my memory seems to tell me, with the meat lady in Balenpost, but I checked now and it's not it. Wasn't there something like that, a mention that Cad was using special mushrooms from the Grove or something like that for it? Is that just some fanon I'm thinking of?

Thank you for your service as the number one blog about our favourite firbolg o7

hi :- ) !! caduceus' hair is dyed, canonically. i dont remember when he mentions it but its canon, thats why it changes in the xhorhas arc, lack of sunlight presumably but also he points out (idr which episode, but while theyre in xhorhas and have their lvl 10 outfits) that its because of the different lichens he has growing on him. my impression was always that the rest of his family (minus his dad who is the one that married into the family and has grey hair) naturally has pink hair - clarabelle even dyes colours over her pink hair to make it rainbow. idk if that bits canon like textually (that the rest of them have pink hair naturally), so they could also be dyeing it for sure, but thats just what i thought the case was. maybe because cad points out that even in his weird family hes sort of an odd one out. which is saying something bc belle is a little weirdo

o7 no problam

[thunderworks]

slides in to ask about your au again

uhhh what are the flowers/lycanthropy like (if you've got a concept for them wjeelkzsedldf)

same for barracuda-

random fun facts about beetle if you've got any perchance,,

HAYLO 💥

Lichen: a little gremlin of a creature. Did not exist before game events. Beetle made him on accident while messing with the Tree shard’s powers. Something of a cricket-puppy.

Notes on the page

feral little beast of a man

born pink from a corrupted triangle as Beetle was messing with his power

neck spikes

jumping legs (cricket?)

spike tail looks like a bunny 😔

(I’m actually not too opposed to the tail now, I think it’s cute. That was the main homage to the original flowers in the game)

Flowers: TBD

Barracuda: TBD

random fun facts about Beetle 🪲

Actually a very good cook, he just doesn’t feel like making anything complicated unless guests come over

Will make things when Bloc comes over

Still has a soft spot for taking care of plants, now that he’s no longer a farmer. Maintains a tiny garden outside of the cave

Bloc brought him seeds of more variety

Remains living in the cave after game events, it’s one of the only existing structures large enough for him to live in. A group effort makes it substantially more cozy (including a giant quilt made by many grandmas)

Heli is initially extremely apprehensive of him. They’re concerned about Bloc going to visit, not wanting her to get sick. Warms up to Beetle once she sees how gentle he is in-person

Kindof scared of Cyan both before & after game events

Mentor figure to Citrine (Circle), sees himself in them

Favorite pie is lemon pie

Im contemplating a Pikuniku crossover. Two pink “monsters” who live in a cave & like to take care of plants

[kingknightsroyaldecrees]

I still haven’t heard anything from the rest of the Order, I’m starting to get worried…

Mona’s trying her best with Plague, and from what I hear, Mole had to escape to the Iron Whale because the Lost City suffered a major outbreak of that virus.

Meanwhile, I’m STILL on quarantine.

[ Few minutes later. ]

👑: By the gods, Mr. Hat?!? What happened?! 🎩: Ugh, some stupid infected Hurlsvelgr tossed me right across the valley… God, my arm hurts. 👑: Oh, please don’t tell me you’re infected too… 🎩: I’m fine! If anything, I’m just… I’m hurt.

[ Mr. Hat is available for asks. ]

[lichenaday]

May I ask a question on lichens? I'm writing a series where some partially organic robots can grow their own materials due to their individual components being alive, and for example their brain is a slime mold and their skin is made of lichen. Which type of lichen would be most believable in this context?

That sounds like a cool concept. Very Scavenger's Regin (if you haven't seen it, I encourage everyone who can tolerate body horror to watch it). Look, they are all probably equally unlikely, so you can go ham with it. It's your story do what you want. But for like, a little bit of realism, there are some lichens that are better at growing on synthetic substrates and are more adaptable and fast growing than others. Xanthoria parietina is probably the most adaptable lichen out there. Will pretty much grow wherever on whatever

Xanthoparmelia is another lichen genus commonly found colonizing metal, plastic, cloth, and even glass

It could also be cool to see robots from different environments with different lichen species adapted to their climate conditions! Or maybe the select based on aesthetics. Whatever you do, I am just glad you are integrating lichen into your worldbuilding!

[liches-covered-in-lich]

Send this to all your favourite moots and pass the pumpkin round! KEEP THE PUMPKIN TRAIN GOING 🎃🖤🎃🖤🎃

:D!!! Why thanks!

[bugintheruins]

Drawing request: Your favourite animal!

A PIGEON fuckin love pigeons

thanks so much for the ask!!!!

[botanyshitposts]

Lichen's an obligate symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthesizer? :O i didn't know that. Could you ELI5? :3

a lichen is a fungus-algae-bacteria-yeast etc soup where the parts talk to each other and make substances not otherwise known to man. we do not understand all contents of the soups, how the many different and extremely variable soup contents change the soup, or even the wider soup implications. it’s debatable what we should even call each type of soup to be honest. also they went into the vacuum of space a few times and were fine which was pretty funny

[mycoblogg]

What's your top three favorite fungi, currently?

OKEYOKEYOKEY !! /pos let me do it in a classic 3, 2, 1 style. you can click on the fungus's name to be taken to my FOTD post about them. ^^

in third place we have...

3. BLUE-GREEN ELFCUP<3 (chlorociboria aeruginosa)

i love love love these little guys !! :-) they also occur in my country, so i hope to find them someday. ^^ beautiful colour.

2. PiXiE CUP LiCHEN !! (cladonia asahinae)

this fungus i just adore for its goofy shape & pretty colour :-) i really love lichens & hope to find it one day. however,, this person made me realise they look like shrek's ears so- i-😭😭

in first place.. DRUMROLL PLEASE !!

1. ROSY BONNET (mycena rosea) :-D

i *adore* this mushroom for so many reasons. it's literally the strawberry milk of mushrooms<3 so cute & innocent.. BUT !! it's poisonous - plot freaking twist !! number one winner (currently). she's so gorgeous.

thanks for this ask, it was a blast :-)

[bestanimal]

Interesting !! Is there like a specific classification system you're going by for the poll order? I know you mentioned the Linnaean system somewhere, does that just mean you're sort of going by rank and ignoring phylogeny (for lack of a better wording)?

Also, lichen likers (almost wrote lichers) are on their own. Bestfungi and bestalgae can handle that 😭😭😭

Once I get to classes, I’m not sure. I think it will be mostly linnaean, but I may substitute some clades that make more sense (such as using Diapsida or Sauria instead of splitting birds from the other reptiles, or have a seperate poll for Lepidosaurs and Archosaurs). I’ll just be playing it by ear. 😅