this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2025
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Lichen
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I have only been keeping an herbarium for maybe 6 months but I have had good luck reviving them and viewing under the microscope. I don't know how helpful it is for the long-run but I basically take them all out, water them and set them out in the sun for a bit. The mineral content of my well-water probably isn't a fully balance diet for them so I am kind of just shooting from the hip and seeing how long that works. I don't have any scientific training so its all enthusiasm + trial and error. I imagine they should last a while, it can't be worse than the vacuum of space. If you are thinking about starting a collection I would work out a voucher tag system right away, its something I neglected to do early on and I'm kicking myself. I just use a little piece of paper and note name, date, location, substrate, etc. - not unlike a voucher slip you fill out during a bioblitz. One of my storage containers:
Thanks for the idea! That looks very nice, I like how the collection is organized in those storage containers. They look very well preserved so far so your well water + sun protocol seems to be working well. Perhaps I will too start a lichen collection!