lichens-r-us

This weekend, the interns had a trip up to northern Minnesota to visit Wolf Ridge RELC. The center is located on the north shore of Lake Superior. We drove up to have a look at another center that is similar to the Audubon as well as fit in a couple activities for our Hamline classes.

First up was lichen hunting. We learned the basics about lichens and then headed out to a nearby state park to find some lichens. I have been taking photos of lichens and fungus for awhile now and it was neat to finally learn some basics. A lichen is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus, bacteria and/or algae. I had lots of fun taking photos and trying to identify some species while enjoying the amazing view of Lake Superior.

Lichen Hunting at the state park

My favorite lichen picture!! A water droplet on several kinds of lichens - one of which is possibly a reindeer lichen.

Amazing View!!

The next day we went to a farm that is completely off the grid. They get almost all of their energy from various renewable energies. This was neat to and its neat that they can run an entire farm this way. After this we headed back to Wolf Ridge to observe a class. I watched Trees and Keys which is a class about identifying trees. It was kind of interesting and gave me the chance to explore the trails there a little bit.

Overall, a nice quick weekend trip!!