Thanks akaMaineGrower for the comment and suggestions. I'm going out in a little bit to check on the life of the branches, but I wanted to run a comment past you that the rep from my County Extension service told me. Like you, I would believe that lack of light would cause issues like this, but apparently, getting sun can be the issue. She sent me part of an article by someone named Walter Reeves which stated that lichen usually colonizes on plants who are already sick in some way. From this ailment, they tend to thin out, thus allowing sun on branches that then encourage the lichen, primarily the algae portion of what I call the "ugly sandwich". Once the algae takes hold, the fungus isn't usually far behind. But again, these plants are more than a decade old, not in high moisture areas, and most are super full. They don't have "holes" in growth that would explain Mr. Reeves' comment. Ok, now I'm off to go check on the branches to see what life they have left in them! Watch, knowing my luck with this Psycho Lichen, they'll be healthy branches! :) Thanks again! Elizabeth

HTH- From IFAS Website Lichens are flaky moss-like organisms that grow on the bark and branches of our landscape trees or shrubs. They do not attack and kill. They are a very natural part of landscapes and wooded areas on every continent of the world. Lichen may look like moss, but it is actually an algae and a fungus living together mutualistically, an association which is advantageous to both organisms. The bulk of a lichen is comprised of fungal hyphae called rhizoids. Rhizoids serve to attach the lichen to things like rocks, bark, branches, etc. Rhizoids also obtain minerals from rain water, plant leachates and organic debris, like bird excrement and wind blown particles. The alga gets water and nutrients from the fungus. The alga is a plant capable of manufacturing food (photosynthesis) for the fungus. The association with the alga is essential to the survival of the fungus. The fungi of lichen are only found as a component of lichens; they do not exist independently. Lichens are long lived and well adapted to extremes of heat, cold, and drought. For example, masses of lichens, related to the reindeer "mosses" (not a true moss), cover the northern arctic and serve as pasturage of musk ox, caribou and domesticated reindeer. We tend to notice lichens more in late winter when plants are bare, and we are beginning to set expectations for our landscape's spring explosion. This is all well and good you might say, but it looks ugly and it is killing my tree/shrub. Most people believe lichens are diseases which have killed or are killing their plants. However, there is no documented proof that lichens parasitize or kill plants. Plants covered with lichens may look trashy, but there are reasons why they are covered. They grow rapidly when exposed to sun and a bare plant or a plant with a thin canopy create ideal location for lichen to proliferate. If a plant is declining and covered with lichen, there is some other cause. Lichens are just taking advantage of a sunny situation. Consider other possible causes of the plant's poor growth like stress, drought, diseases or insects. Lichens are not considered pests. So there are no chemicals we can spray to legally control lichens. You can try picking them off bark or pruning out covered branches, which may already be dead. Lichens do serve an important role in the ecological community. They initiate soil formation from bare rock by a mechanical breaking up of the rock surface. When the lichen is wet it adheres tightly to the rock. When it dries, the lichen contracts, breaking away tiny fragments of the rock surface. In addition, lichens have a number of economic uses. They serve as food for animals, they are used in tanning and dyeing processes and they are a common source of litmus in chemical laboratories.

On March 21, I was passing by Leslie (south of Harrison) and noticed Lots of it too. It was a damp, rainy day and if the temps had been cooler, it would have almost looked like ice forming on the trees. This morning was rainy and the woods out back of the house looked especially lichen-ey .... so, to me, it does seem to be an extra licheny year in places. Years ago, I used to notice the same thing at times on the bluffs around Russellville.

Great shot GreenLarry!