Free workshop led by Aspen Ecology, and sponsored by the Anglian Microscopy Group and the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society
Saturday, 17 May 2025, 10:00 – 15:00
Crowfield Village Hall, Crowfield, Suffolk
Lichens are neglected biodiversity. Despite their ecological significance, dazzling variety and strange beauty, they’re easily overlooked. But these tiny creatures contain secrets! And microscopes can help to reveal them.
Anyone can learn how to appreciate lichens using microscopes. Seeing a lichen under a stereomicroscope for the first time is like descending to the surface of a new planet. And examining lichen sections at high magnification puts the lichen symbiosis on show: a partnership between completely different organisms that’s unique on Earth.
This one-day workshop will introduce participants to lichens and lichen microscopy. After an overview of these compelling life-forms, we’ll go outside to collect samples, which we’ll then prepare for examination. No familiarity with lichens is presumed. Experience with microscopes will be helpful, but the Anglian Microscopy Group warmly welcomes beginners!
Participants should bring hand-lenses, as well as stereomicroscopes and compound microscopes if possible. Some microscopes will be available to borrow, and other materials and equipment will be provided.
Join us for a close-up look at the fascinating world of lichens. You’ll never see them in the same way again!
- 13.00 – 15.00: Lichen microscopy
- 10.00 – 11.00: Introduction to lichens
- 11.00 – 12.00: Collecting lichens (please bring any lichens you’d like to examine)
- 12.00 – 12.45: Lunch (please bring a packed lunch)
- 12.45 – 13.00: Equipment set-up
Places are limited, so please contact the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society at enquiries@sns.org.uk as early as possible to reserve your place.
