Avi Kwa Ame National Monument ~ Beauty and Symbiosis On the Rocks

DECEMBER 2025

One of the most striking features of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument might just be the variety and beauty of the lichens you see on the granite boulders found throughout the monument. Lichens create beautiful displays of color and texture in yellows, pale blues, lime greens and rusty reds and oranges, and are especially vibrant now after our recent rains. A study (and annotated checklist) of lichen in Joshua Tree National Park is a great reference and starting point for the species you may see for yourself in Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. The relative humidity is higher here, making it even more favorable for lichens.

Lichens are an example of a symbiotic relationship—a partnership between a fungus and a photosynthetic algae or cyanobacterium which allows the lichen to photosynthesize. Crustose lichens are extremely slow growing (as slow as an inch every hundred years) and some of the ones you see in the monument can be many hundreds of years old or more! Lichens absorb nutrients from the atmosphere and are very sensitive to air pollution, which can make them an indicator of air quality. Come on out to the monument and enjoy the fresh desert air!