* Amazing World of Lichen and Fungi – FREE Workshop (Nashua River WaterShed)

You’re invited to join the Nashua River Watershed Association for a free workshop on "The Amazing World of Lichen and Fungi". Space is limited; registration required. Register online today.
WHEN:  Saturday, November 5, 2022, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. 
WHERE:  In person at the NRWA River Resource Center, 592 Main Street (Rt. 119) in Groton, MA
WHAT: Unlike trees or wildflowers or birds, ask most naturalists to identify or talk about lichens and fungi and the response is all too frequently, “I don’t know much about them”.  What a paradox – here are two commonly seen kinds of organisms in a wonderful variety of colors and shapes, occurring right before our eyes on rocks, trees, fenceposts, soil, and yet they are overlooked (or even ignored!) by amateur and even professional biologists. 
Join us for our free workshop “The Amazing World of Lichen and Fungi” led by Bruce Lund, “retired” botanist and biologist. Did you know that our local fungi can vary in size from an apple seed sized Bird’s Nest Fungi, to a majestic 8 inch wide Wine Cap? While some fungi display vivid color, lichens may be the faintest green haze on the trunk of a tree. Other lichen form part of ancient colonies dozens of square feet wide. In this program, we’ll meet locally occurring and imaginatively named lichens, Smoky-eye Boulder, Reindeer, Powderhorn, and fungi, Crown-tipped Coral, Stinky Squid, Velvet Foot in pictures and live specimens. We’ll discuss how lichens utilize living photosynthetic algae or cyanobacteria to obtain nutrients, while fungi fuel themselves differently by chemically extracting nutrients from non-living plants or animals or as parasites on living organisms - including each other!  
Our presenter, Bruce Lund, has been photographing lichens and fungi at Beaver Brook Association in Hollis, NH, and in local cemeteries and other southern New Hampshire sites for several years, as well as researching scientific literature that is uncovering new discoveries about their lifestyles. Bruce will be joined by NRWA Education Associate, Gaynor Bigelbach, who will be providing live displays to be explored during this workshop. We’ll have botany loupes and user friendly microscopes available for use. And there will be plenty of time for questions.
DETAILS:  Program is designed for adults. Masks are recommended. 
REGISTRATION REQUIRED:  Space is limited; registration is required. Register online today.
For questions, email nrwa@NashuaRiverWatershed.org.