Beavers, Lichens, and Science - Oh My!
- Amy Jewitt
- Feb 13, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 15, 2021
Blog post written by Amy Jewitt (GRLC Board Member)
Video provided by Peter Walker (GRLC Board Member)
Beaver activity at Glade Run Lake (with GRLC Board Member, Dave Fowler, shown in photo).
The natural world at Glade Run Lake provides ample opportunities to view and appreciate nature year-round. From the birds flitting about in the trees, to the wide array of plants that call Glade Run Lake "home". Even now in these cold winter months, there is life to be seen, noticed, and studied.
If you've recently visited Glade Run Lake, you may have noticed some beaver activity along the lake's shoreline. Peter Walker, Board Member with the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, recently visited and captured video showing the trees that were impacted by this important animal. Known as a keystone species, beavers are considered animals on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if they (beavers) were removed, the ecosystem would drastically change. In this way, beavers play a critical role in the natural world by promoting and sustaining biodiversity.
Video credit: Gwilym Walker
Also showcased in Peter's video is a small but interesting plant - the lichen. Peter explains that though a lichen appears to be an individual plant, it's actually a fungus and an algae growing together. Who knew?!
Through a symbiotic relationship, the lichen and algae actually depend on one another to grow. The algae use the fungi for structure, and the fungi use the algae to photosynthesize and produce energy.
In his video, Peter goes on to discuss a term called lichenography that perhaps many of us have never even heard of before (myself included). This is a type of science that illustrates the natural history of lichens. Additionally, Peter describes lichenometry, a geomorphic method of geochronologic dating that uses lichen growth to determine the age of exposed rock. How interesting!
Lichens. Credit info provided at bottom.
After reading this blog post and watching Peter's video, I hope you come away with a deeper and more appreciative understanding of the animal and plant life found on the property at Glade Run Lake. The natural world is ever changing and there is always something new to see, if only we have the eyes to notice it.
About Us
Peter Walker (video contributor) and Amy Jewitt (blog post author) are each active board members with the Glade Run Lake Conservancy. Peter joined the GRLC in 2019, and Amy joined in 2018.
Lichen Photo Credits:
(Left photo) Credit: Flickr user ramograph using a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license - Link to image
(Middle photo) Credit: Flickr user Siaron James using a CC BY 2.0 license - Link to image
(Right photo) Credit: Flickr user Quinn Dombrowski using a CC BY-SA 2.0 license - Link to image
Seeing the beaver cuts documented like this makes me want to go back and compare the same stretch of shoreline across seasons — it’s like a living before/after. The lichen piece is cool too, especially how it’s basically cooperation made visible. Funny contrast: I was messing around with StyleLookLab earlier and it’s the same idea of patterns you don’t notice until someone points them out. Do you know if there are certain trees around the lake beavers prefer, or is it mostly just whatever’s closest to the water?
The lichen explanation was the part that stuck with me — I’ve definitely been guilty of thinking it was just “some moss” and moving on. And yeah, beavers are one of those animals where the more you learn, the more the chewed trees feel like evidence of a working system. Oddly enough it reminded me of fiddling with images to see what small tweaks change the whole feel, like this site — tiny inputs, big visual difference. Next time I’m out there I’m going to actually stop and look at the bark instead of just walking past it.
I like that this post doesn’t treat beavers like villains — the “keystone species” angle explains a lot when you see chewed trunks up close. And the lichen segment is a nice nudge to slow down and actually look at the tiny stuff in winter. Side note, I stumbled on an AI tools directory recently and it made me think how different fields all have their own “catalogs” — nature just hides its entries better. Any chance you’ll do a follow-up on other winter signs people can look for around the lake?
The “keystone species” explanation was a helpful framing — it makes the tree damage feel less like a problem and more like a tradeoff with benefits. Also, lichens being a team-up is one of those facts I forget and then get re-amazed by. Kind of like when I’m trying to sanity-check numbers quickly with a grading curve calculator and realize how much small changes ripple through outcomes. Do you know if anyone’s tracking water quality shifts in the areas where beavers are most active?
I’ve walked past beaver-cut trees before and never really thought about how many other species benefit from that kind of “engineering.” The lichen bit was fun too — it’s wild how something that looks like one organism is really a partnership. This made me think of how I zone out with little pattern games when I’m stuck indoors in winter, like https://blockblast.co — different topic, same “small things keep you noticing.” Do you ever do winter walks specifically to look for lichens?