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

Doh! Posted the wrong link, sorry. Here's the correct one: http://www.findingfacts.com/content/view/2/2/ Here is a link that might be useful: Clickable version of Lichens link

This book has been taken. If you are intersted in other botanical books I shall be "weeding" out my library and may have something of interest later. MAY???

Sorry folks but the plant you have is a moss. It looks like a species of Tortula but there are also other genera of moss that are similar in appearance. Check out this link to an image of what I am seeing this as possibly similar to. Fern prothallia and young sporophytes look much different. Check out the link below for more info on those. Here is a link that might be useful: Fern Life Cycle