Grab your lunch and get ready to look at rocks and tree bark a little differently. Colorado has some of the wildest, most untouched landscapes in the West — but believe it or not, nobody’s ever done a full count of one of its smallest, toughest life forms: lichens. (Yes, those crusty, colorful patches you’ve walked past a thousand times without a second glance.)
Three years ago, a team set out to change that — combing the state’s mountains, plains, and everything in between to finally document Colorado’s lichen life. The results so far? Two brand-new species discovered and named for the first time ever, plus 32 species never before recorded in Colorado and 17 more so rare they’d only been spotted a handful of times previously.
Come hear the story of the hunt, meet the newest (tiny) Coloradans, and find out why these unassuming organisms matter more than you’d think. No science background required — just curiosity and an appetite (for lunch, and new knowledge)!