Direct Connection/Support: Lichen
Lichens are interesting to the idea of inter-connectedness and support for several reasons:
- Lichens are communities of fungi, algae and other bacteria which support each other – fungi provide a home and minerals, algae convert sunlight to food.
- Lichens can survive in all kinds of hostile conditions – on mountain tops, the coast, tropical forests and limestone pores under the ice in Antarctica
- Many birds use lichen for nest building to help them camouflage
- Some insects such as Markia hystrix (a grasshopper in south america) live in and on lichen.
I observed various instances of lichen growing on other lifeforms around the Eden Project. I particularly like their textural contrast.
Sophie Green Art & Design 