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Lichen Walk Bellevue Botanic Gardens

Friday, March 13, 2026

Looking for a winter activity for those shorter days in the Seattle & Bellevue area?

Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology.  Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae.  You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Always wondered about what lichens are and why they are found on your trees, fences, Rhododendrons and Azaleas? Lichens are harmless to your plants and add aesthetic value to trees and shrubs. We can actually use them as indicators of air pollution!  Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Bellevue Botanic Gardens on Friday, March 13 to get a head start on learning lichens from one of the Seattle areas botanic gardens. The walk around the gardens is just over 1 mile.

Registration: Lichen Walk - Bellevue Botanical Garden

Fee: $28 - $40

Bring a hand lens & a copy of McCune/Geiser "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest". The Lichen book can be purchased through Amazon or the University Book Store.

Walk through the Washington Park Arboretum and learn all about lichens and their growth!

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Looking for a Winter activity for those shorter days in Seattle? Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology. Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae. You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Washington Park Arboretum on Saturday, March 7, to get a head start on learning lichens from one of Seattle’s botanic gardens. You can enjoy the late winter/early spring season by looking for lichens, rather than staying inside and missing out on the excitement of being outside.

The walk will cover about 1 mile.

Registration: 

Scroll down to March 7 Lichen Walk.

A second date offered will be February 7.

Bring a hand lens or cell phone with a magnifier to view lichen details. A great field book is: "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest" by McCune & Geiser. There are lots of lichen photos to use for identification. The book can be purchased through Amazon or The University Bookstore.

Registration Fee: $45

https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/washington-park-arboretum/visit/maps-trails/

LICHEN WALK at the BELLEVUE BOTANIC GARDENS
Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Looking for a winter activity for those shorter days in the Seattle & Bellevue area?

Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology.  Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae.  You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Always wondered about what lichens are and why they are found on your trees, fences, Rhododendrons and Azaleas? Lichens are harmless to your plants and add aesthetic value to trees and shrubs. We can actually use them as indicators of air pollution!  Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Bellevue Botanic Gardens on Tuesday, February 10 to get a head start on learning lichens from one of the Seattle area's botanic gardens. The walk around the gardens is just over 1 mile.

Registration: Lichen Walk - Bellevue Botanical Garden

Fee: $28 - $40

Bring a hand lens & a copy of McCune/Geiser "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest". The Lichen book can be purchased through Amazon or the University Book Store.

Walk through the Washington Park Arboretum and learn all about lichens and their growth!

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Looking for a Winter activity for those shorter days in Seattle? Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology. Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae. You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Washington Park Arboretum on Saturday, February 7, to get a head start on learning lichens from one of Seattle’s botanic gardens. You can enjoy the winter season by looking for lichens, rather than staying inside and missing out on the excitement of being outside.

The walk will cover about 1 mile.

Registration: 

Scroll down to February 7 Lichen Walk

A second date offered will be March 7.

Bring a hand lens or cell phone with a magnifier to view lichen details. A great field book is: "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest" by McCune & Geiser. There are lots of lichen photos to use for identification. The book can be purchased through Amazon or The University Bookstore.

Registration Fee: $45

Walk through the Washington Park Arboretum and learn all about lichens and their growth!

Sunday, November 16, 2025

Looking for a Fall activity for those shorter days in Seattle? Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology. Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae. You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Washington Park Arboretum on Sunday, November 16, to get a head start on learning lichens from one of Seattle’s botanic gardens. You can enjoy the late fall season by looking for lichens, rather than staying inside and missing out on the excitement of being outside. We will be walking about 1 mile.

Fee: $45

Bring a hand lens or cell phone with a magnifier to view lichen details. Consider "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest." 2023. McCune & Geiser. 3rd Edition.

Wear clothing appropriate for the weather & water to drink.

Friday November 7, 2025

Looking for a Fall activity for those shorter days in the Seattle & Bellevue area?

Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology.  Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae.  You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Always wondered about what lichens are and why they are found on your trees, fences, Rhododendrons and Azaleas? Lichens are harmless to your plants and add aesthetic value to trees and shrubs. We can actually use them as indicators of air pollution!  Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Bellevue Botanic Gardens on Friday, November 7 to get a head start on learning lichens from one of the Seattle areas botanic gardens.  

We will be walking about 1 mile.

Registration: Lichen Walk - Bellevue Botanical Garden

Fee: $24.50 - $35

Bring a hand lens, if you have one, water & McCune & Geiser 2023, "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest".

Wear clothing appropriate for the weather.

Cemetery Lichens - Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Seattle

Katherine Glew, PhD

​

Saturday, October 25, 2025

Ghosts and Goblins in a cemetery for Hallowe'en?
Why not consider lichens as an alternative?  Lichens are friendly and
interesting organisms that love to grow on headstones and old trees.
Cemeteries can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic
organism made up of a fungus and algae.  You will also learn about common
lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart
that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Always wondered about what lichens are and why they are found on your trees
and Rhododendrons?  Lichens are harmless to your plants and add aesthetic
value to trees and shrubs. We can actually use them as indicators of air
pollution!  Join Dr. Katherine Glew and the Mount Pleasant Cemetery on Saturday, October 25 to get a head start on learning lichens from your local
cemetery.  You can enjoy Hallowe'en looking for lichens rather than scary
witches and pumpkin heads.

Dr. Katherine Glew is offering a 2 hour lichen experience at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Queen Anne in Seattle, Saturday, October 25 from 10:00am to noon. This offering will occur - rain, shine, wind, snow.........

To sign up for the course and read a description, go to the following link:

Classes & Workshops | University of Washington Botanic Gardens (uw.edu)

Bring a hand lens or cell phone with a magnifier to view lichen details. Consider "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest", 2023 McCune & Geiser. 3rd Edition.

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather & water to drink.

FALL LICHEN WALK at the BELLEVUE BOTANIC GARDENS 

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Looking for a Fall activity for those shorter days in the Seattle & Bellevue area?

Why not consider lichens as an alternative? They grow on trees, shrubs and rocks in botanic gardens and can tell us about air quality and the make-up of plants and geology.  Botanic gardens can take on new meaning as a *fun* place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of a fungus and algae.  You will also learn about common lichens found in an urban environment and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood.

Always wondered about what lichens are and why they are found on your trees, fences, Rhododendrons and Azaleas? Lichens are harmless to your plants and add aesthetic value to trees and shrubs. We can actually use them as indicators of air pollution!  Join Dr. Katherine Glew for two hours at the Bellevue Botanic Gardens on Tuesday, October 14 to get a head start on learning lichens from one of the Seattle areas botanic gardens.  

We will be walking about a mile.

Registration: Lichen Walk - Bellevue Botanical Garden

Fee: $24.50 - $35

Bring a hand lens, if you have one & a copy of "Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest" 2023, McCune & Geiser. 3rd Edition.

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather & water to drink.

Northwest Lichenologists Travel Grant Application for the 10th Congress of the International Association for Lichenology (IAL10, July 26-31, 2026)  

To encourage broad engagement with lichenology research by students, postdocs, and early career researchers in the Pacific Northwest, Northwest Lichenologists (NWL) is offering up to $1500.00 USD in funding to help offset the costs of travel and attendance to the upcoming 10th Congress of the International Association of Lichenologists (IAL10) meeting in Trieste, Italy, July 26-30, 2026.

For more information and to apply, go to the Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdDbI5FfwzPyeprKMqHVwArOIBswqZk0lxVVO1oMciJN6K18g/viewform?usp=header

Hi Lichen folks,

I just got this essay from a friend and liked it so much I thought it a good thing to share. I hope you, too, enjoy it.

https://chasingnature.substack.com/p/the-triumph-of-the-book-in-nature?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1191940&post_id=173088515&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=oemlj&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email