Lookin' for Lichen

Warner Park Nature Center is hosting Lookin' for Lichen on Friday, October 9, from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM. It's a nature-hike treasure hunt led by the center's staff, with lichen as the star. If you've never really looked at it, lichen is one of nature's strangest symbiotic organisms — part fungus, part algae — and the center notes that autumn is the best time to go searching for it. The walk is aimed at ages 13 and up.

The hike starts at the Warner Park Nature Center, located at 7311 Highway 100 in Nashville. The center itself is a Metro Parks of Nashville-Davidson County environmental education hub and the city's largest outdoor laboratory. It's got a bird observation platform, Nashville's first Nature Play Area, and an organic garden open to the public. Its bird banding station has been running since 1982. From there, you're positioned to explore more than 3,100 acres across Burch Reserve, Percy Warner, and Edwin Warner Parks. The center's mission is to provide quality environmental education and responsible recreation while protecting, preserving, restoring, and managing the park ecosystem.

Lili Wrenne and Kayleigh Winston are the ones leading the way. They'll guide you through the woods on a treasure hunt for lichen, so you'll be looking closely at the trees and rocks rather than just walking past them. It's a good way to spend a Friday afternoon if you're into the outdoors and don't mind a bit of a scavenger hunt. The whole thing runs from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM on Friday, October 9, at the Warner Park Nature Center, 7311 Highway 100, Nashville, TN 37221, and it's for ages 13 and up.