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

Saturday, March 8, 2025

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 8, 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: 

UW Botanic Gardens

Scroll down to March 8 Lichen Walk.

A second date offered will be February 8.

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