Usnea Lichen is found throughout the Black Hills, it is the result of a symbiotic relationship of algae and fungus. It is also known as Old Man’s Beard.
I’d always thought is was some type of moss (like Spanish Moss), but moss is a type of plant and Usnea Lichen is not a plant. It has been used medicinally for bacterial and fungal infections. Read more about some of the traditional uses here.
I took the photos of the lichen on my Iphone 4 with the Olloclip 3-in-1 Lens for iPhone 4 & iPhone 4S
