Lichen

Description:

On this tree, you can see fruticose, foliose, and a small bit of crustose lichen. All forms of lichen are made of fungus, algae, and sometimes yeast. crustose - crustlike, grows tight against the tree foliose - leaflike, with flat sheets of tissue not tightly bound fruticose - free-standing branching tubes Fun Fact: There are approximately 17,000 species of lichen world wide!

Habitat:

Eye level on a tree in Warner park in Nashville, TN. Found on a cold spring morning close to the park visitation center.