I do like lichens

As soon as I start getting interested in mosses and liverworts I come across a lovely little clump of trees covered in beautiful lichens...and think I should revive my interest in them. Both groups involve hours at a microscope and working through keys - great for the dark evenings, as long as there's nothing exciting on TV. This branch of a poplar had five different species of lichen in a 10cm section. It was colourful from a distance, but only really came to life when I had it at nose length.