I can’t say I’ve ever paid too much attention to lichen in my life or thought about it ever, but after visiting the Join the Enlichenment exhibit at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, lichen has been on my mind. This exhibit at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, open through December 7, invites all to learn about the unnoticed, under-appreciated organisms found on rocks, trees, and soil.
The Santa Botanic Garden has been a hub for scientific research and learning for nearly a century. The garden is divided into sections such as Desert, Meadow, and Redwoods. Island View, a section that features wild plants unique to the Channel Islands and Baja California, is home of the new lichen exhibit.
Walking into the exhibit, one thing is clear, this exhibit combines art with science to help visitors understand the world of lichen. Purple netting hanging on the exhibit wall mimics the design of a lichen, and the purple dye used was made with lichen. On the left wall, zines created by garden staff with the help of Bird in Hand Press, are displayed, showcasing different lichen niches that each staff member chose to highlight.
One zine, made by José Flores, an invertebrate biodiversity technician at the garden, focuses on sea-fog lichen of San Luis Obispo County. One page read, “Like a lighthouse standing guard at the edge of the ocean you can find many species of Sea-Fog Lichen [Niebla sp.] growing on rocks and soil along the coast.” The zine even unfolds into a poster with a list of songs that make up a playlist for a foggy day listen…