British Soldier Lichen is named for its bright red caps reminiscent of the uniforms worn by the "red coats" during the Revolutionary War. It resembles moss found on decaying logs and stumps. Like other lichens, it is a dual organism made of fungus and green algae. This is an example of mutualism, a dependent relationship where both organisms benefit by exchanging sugars and nutrients.

The British Soldier Lichen plays an important role in the natural life cycle of a forest ecosystem. Acting as a decomposer, it breaks down fallen trees to return nutrients back into the soil and converts nitrogen into a usable form for plants.

British Soldier Lichen was spotted recently by Don and Judy Koch at Montour Woods Conservation Area during the annual Christmas Bird Count.

This past week an article was published in
the Denver Post about land conservation in the American West. Numerous land bills are making their way through Congress due to the hard work and perseverance of local people. Among these people were hunters and anglers who care about land stewardship and protecting what we have today for future generations. Access the article here.

The article, written by Trout Unlimited President Chris Wood, draws many parallels with the Hollow Oak mission to protect greenspace in Pittsburgh. As a local land trust, Hollow Oak thrives on support from community members and sportsmen, as well as collaboration with local municipalities to preserve land in the Pittsburgh Airport Corridor. 
 

Hollow Oak recognizes the importance of hunters in maintaining balance among the flora and fauna of our conservation areas by preventing overpopulation by whitetail deer. Anglers are among the most passionate protectors of water quality and they have led initiatives to restore watersheds such as Montour Run. We are proud to stand with these conservationists who not only support our work in land conservation, but who also deeply enjoy getting outdoors and experiencing the benefits of our work firsthand.