A FEW COMMON LICHENS 



every rock with a dark, gloomy growth. These are bit- 

 ter lichens, yet they have kept alive hunters and ex- 

 plorers when no other food could be found. 



To the Parmelia family belong some of our most 

 common leafy lichens. They are sometimes called leaf 

 lichens or Shield-edge lichens. The common yellow 

 wall moss is one of these that is abundant. It grows 

 almost 'everywhere on rocks, trees, and walls. It is 

 often seen with much fruit on roadside walls and fences 4 . 



A lichen sometimes called beard moss, is found in 

 great quantities hanging from trees in the northern 

 part of North America. Longfellow compares trees 

 covered with it to old men "with beards that rest on 

 their bosoms." Another form is found along the coast 

 of California, where the oak trees are often covered 

 with festoons several yards long. These hanging 

 lichens are usually a grayish green or a brownish green 

 in color. 



We cannot go into the woods and fields without see- 

 ing lichens. Let us keep our eyes open and find as many 

 different kinds as we can. 



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