Lichen and Turkey Tail Mushrooms on Trees and Branches

Lichens are pretty cool and harmless to trees. They come from the marriage of Fungus (which grows on the tree) and Algae (which likes the moisture Fungus creates and becomes food for the Fungus). So one thrives on the other.

I was walking with my friend Katie at Kennesaw Mountain Battle Field.

http://www.nps.gov/kemo/index.htm

They have lots of nature trails but this particular trail was new to me. The Little Kennesaw trail.  All along the path we found Lichens and mushrooms on the trees. They were so pretty that I began taking photographs of them.
Here is an example of both Lichen and mushrooms. The mushrooms look like butterflies.

Photo Credit CK Worley

Lichen is sensitive to pollution and likes clean fresh air so it’s a good sign. If you have some on your trees and don’t like it, just scrub it off with soapy water. That should do the trick.

The rest of my pictures are mushrooms, possibly "Turkey-Tail". These mostly grow on dead hardwood. Turkey-Tail mushrooms have been used in Chinese medicine and now research is being done on it's curative abilities here in the United States.

One of the more humorous things I have read is that ladies used to decorate their hats with some of the more colorful ones. Leave it to the girls to find a way to use mushrooms as a fashion accessory!

Here are some of the photos I took of the mushrooms.

Photo Credit: CK Worley

Photo Credit: CK Worley

Photo Credit: CK Worley