Lacawac Hiking Trails
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      • Oligotrophic Lake
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Mosses & Lichen

According to DCNR, this area is referred to as the Wallenpaupack Wild Plant Sanctuary, “and contains some of the most spectacular lichen communities in the state”

A lichen is an organism made up of a symbiotic relationship between fungus and algae. Lichens mainly grow on rocks or the sides of trees. Lichens can absorb some mineral nutrients from the surface it grows on, but it is mostly self-reliant in producing its energy through photosynthesis. 

Here’s an example of a Lichen you may spot nearby:

Rock Tripe Lichen (Umbilicaria)                                                                                                       

Picture
Rock tripe is one of the strongest types of lichen. It can withstand up to 62 weeks of extreme drought. Since rock tripe can survive such extreme conditions, Native American Tribes often used it for food emergencies in the winter. Rock tripe has actually proven to be a good source of nutrition in many survival situations. For example, it was boiled and consumed by Washington’s troops in Valley Forge.

Although studies have proven Rock tripe’s nutritional values, it cannot be used as a commercial crop due to its slow growth rate.  


Mosses are small flowerless plants that typically grow in clumps in shady damp locations. Mosses are one of the most primitive types of plants. Their simple structure has remained nearly unchanged for the past million years. Unlike lichens, mosses have small leaves and stems.

These are 3 examples of mosses you might be able to spot at Lacawac Sanctuary:
Picture

Staghorn Moss

Picture

Stiff Clubmoss

Picture

Sphagnum Moss

Location

About lacawac sanctuary

Lacawac Sanctuary Field Station and Environmental Education Center is an independent, non-profit, environmental education organization located on the shore of Lake Wallenp​aupack in the Northern Poconos.  We operate solely on program fees, memberships, sponsorships, grants and private donations from people like you

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  • Home
  • About
    • Sources
    • Contact Us
  • Visitors Center
    • Native Plant Garden
    • Bees
    • Weather Station
  • Historic Great Camp Trail
    • Connell Park
    • Sustainable Forestry
    • Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
    • Early Years
    • Field Station
  • Lake Lacawac Trail
    • White Pine
    • Eastern Hemlock
    • Sphagnum Moss
    • Blueberry Bushes
    • Bog Plants
    • Lake Lacawac
    • Glacial Bog
    • Pickerelweed
    • Diversity of Birds
    • Glacial Erratic Rock
    • American Black Bear >
      • Diet
      • Population
      • Reproduction
  • Big Lake Trail
    • Food Web
    • North American Beaver
    • Osprey
    • Watershed
    • Japanese Barberry >
      • Characteristics
      • Threat to Forest
      • Control Methods
    • Minerals & Rocks >
      • Minerals
      • Igneous Rocks
      • Sedimentary Rocks
      • Metamorphic Rocks
      • Identification
    • Sugar Maple
    • Streams
    • Hydroelectric Dam
    • Lake Wallenpaupack >
      • Electricity Generation
      • Recreation
      • Watershed Management
    • Wild Grapevines
    • Hayscented Fern
  • Maurice Broun Trail
    • Fields & Meadows
    • Stone Walls
    • Gypsy Moth Caterpillars
    • Oak Trees >
      • White Oak
      • Red Oak
      • Black Oak
    • Raccoons
    • Owls
    • Snakes >
      • Snake ID
    • Bats >
      • Bat Houses
  • Ledges Trail
    • Deer Exclosures
    • Geological Faults >
      • Normal Fault
      • Reverse Fault
      • Strike-slip Fault
    • Wild Orchids
    • Ledges
    • Ferns
    • Mosses & Lichen
    • Vernal Pools
    • Mushrooms
  • Warbler Trail
  • Partner Ridge Trail
  • Watres Trail
    • Edge Effect
    • Hummocks and Hollows
  • Carriage-Lakefront Trails
    • Native Fish
    • Lake Research
    • Aquatic Vegatation
    • Plankton
    • Lake Succession >
      • Oligotrophic Lake
      • Mesotrophic Lake
      • Eutrophic Lake