Pihatiellä olevissa tammissa on paljon jäkäliä. Viime viikolla yhtenä aamuna käpytikat olivat olleet kaivelemassa oksia ja tiputelleet paljon jäkäliä tielle. Myös kovat tuulet usein tiputtelevat jäkäliä ja myrskyjen jälkeen niitä kannattaa etsiä tieltä värjäystä varten. Jäkälät uusiutuvat hitaasti enkä kerää niitä koskaan puista, mutta tielle tippuneita kerään, samoin kun kaadetaan puita polttopuiksi niin jäkälät kannattaa ottaa mielummin värjäykseen kuin laittaa ne puuhellaan.
IN ENGLISH
In the old oaks by the small road to our house there are lots of lichens. One morning last week the woodpeckers had been in the oaks trying to find food from the crevices of the bark and in the process lot of lichens had fallen off the trees to the road. Many times also after storms you can find fallen lichens. Lichens grow back very slowly, and gathering them from where they are growing is not recommended, but fallen lichens like these, or the ones from felled trees, can be used in small amounts in places where they are abundant.
Nämä meidän tammissamme kasvavat jäkälät ovat pääosin yleisiä paisukarvejäkäliä (Hypogymnia physodes) ja harmaaröyhelöä (Platismatia glauca), joilla molemmilla voi värjätä villalle keltaisia ja ruskeita värejä ilman muuta puretusta.
IN ENGLISH
These lichens in our trees are mostly here very common species Hypogumnia physoides and Platismatia glauca. They both give fast yellow, brown and orange colors to wool without any additional mordant.
Ja lunta vielä riittää.
And as you can see, still a lot of snow.
Isoin jäkälä yllä olevassa kuvassa on harmaahankakarve (Pseudevernia furfuracea). Käytän näitäkin värjäykseen tavallisella keittomenetelmällä muiden seassa, koska omat kokemukseni ammonialla saaduista pinkeistä/punavioleteista eivät ole kestävyyden suhteen kovinkaan hyviä (tosin lisäkokeiluja tarvitaan pidempien käymisaikojen suhteen, ne voivat EHKÄ parantaa kestävyyttä). Kellanruskeat ja oranssit sen sijaan ovat kestäviä. Tosin keltaisia värjä saa helposti monista yleisistä kasveista, joten jäkäliä ei värjäystä varten tarvitse kerätä, ellei niitä satu sopivasti tulemaan vastaan, kuten näistä puistani.
Jäkälät eivät ole kovin helppoja tunnistaa, enkä itsekään tunne kuin aivan yleisimpiä lähistöllä kasvavia. Netistä kuvia löytyy mm Valokki - nettikasvio sivuilta ja Pinkka sivuilta. Mikäli jokin jäkälä näyttää erikoiselta ja oudolta, se on luultavasti harvinainen ja kannattaa jättää keräämättä.
IN ENGLISH
The biggest lichen in the picture above is Pseudevernia furfuracea. I dye also these lichens with the usual boiling water method among other lichens, because my own experiences on the lightfastness of colors (pinks/purples) gotten from lichens with fermenting in ammonia are not so good (but I admit I would need to experiment more with longer fermenting times, longer times MAY improve the fastness). The yellows and browns are however lightfast. On the other hand you can get yellows very easily from many common plants, and using lichens for dyeing is by no means necessary. These lichens just happened to fall almost literary to my feet:).
Lichens are not very easy to identify, and I know only the most common ones around where I live. There are pictures of lichens in Finnish site Valokki. If you see a lichen which looks special or different than others nearby, the odds are that it is rare and it is better to leave it where it is.
Nyt sain tällaisen purkillisen jäkäliä, kuivaan nämä odottamaan kunnes tuuli puhaltaa lisää maahan, ja saan näitä tarpeeksi värjäystä varten.
IN ENGLISH
This is how much I got now. I will dry these and leave to wait until the wind blows more lichens down from the trees.
thank you for these photos and explanations. I have a lot of these lichens after a windstorm, and your post is a wonderful creative boost!
ReplyDeleteI collect lichens, when we have to cut down trees, for firewood or because they are damaged. there are quite a lot on most trees, because they thrive in our damp climate! and I like very much the scent they develop in the dye bath, very "herby"! and the scent stays on the yarn for a very long time! I only ever get light browns, but I don't want to collect rare lichens along the coast that give pinks and purples.
ReplyDeletein old times they used to collect "crottle" there, but as a stone lichen it grows even slower than those on trees, too precious to pick!
Thank you lacelady and Bettina:)
ReplyDeleteI also collect lichens only growing from trees, and only fallen lichens or from firewood where they would be destroyed anyway, never from rocks, because as you say, they grow so slowly.
I get mostly yellowish browns from these lichens, but one time I even got green from a lichen growing on birch. I have never since been able to get that color and I don't know if it was a different species of lichen or if it was the time of year when I collected them (early spring when the birches were felled, I think it was late April, just before the leaves came out).
your information is generous with its detail. I've been wondering about lichens, as alot on trees here in Devon, but again only collect after a storm. But not really sure what to do. Have been brewing a jar full in the super slow solar method in the greenhouse! Not tried putting any cloth in yet. Still too cold here, and not much sun. Experiments to continue!
ReplyDeletegreat post as ever.i have some lichens in ammonia lined up for summer dyeing.the color of the liquid is strong ochre, let's see what i get.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anna and neki:)
ReplyDeleteI have never tried lichens with solar method, so I don't know if the heat of sun is enough to get the color from lichens, but it's good to try, and it may work with enough time. Most of the books say that lichens need a long simmer (several hours), and you get the best color if the lichens are together with the fiber. And I have simmered lichens about 3-4 hours, then let cool and simmer again the next day with the fibers, and let cool with the fiber in the pot. if the color is not strong, then one more simmer. And if the color is not to my liking, then that is a good base for something else, usually needing no other mordant than the lichen dyed base (but that depends on the next dye).
Neki, interesting to see what you get, they say that the longer the soak the better.
so interesting to see the lichens fallen and on top of the snow. a sight ive never seen!
ReplyDeleteThanks:)
ReplyDelete