Making your own Lichen: Lichen should be available in any wooded area in the US. It’s easy to pick, once you find it, and easy to prepare your own for your table or gaming group. The materials you will need, besides freshly picked lichen, or I guess to revive some purchased but dried out lichen, is as follows:

3 gals of water
1 gal. Commercial grade glycerin
1 1/2 packets green fabric dye

Mix this together, preferably outside as this might get a little smelly, using the lightest colored dye first. (I would have at least three different dye colors ready).

Heat the solution almost to the boiling point (ideally 230 degrees) or close to a simmer and stuff as much lichen into the pot as the solution will hold continue heating until back to a simmer, let simmer five minutes remove from heat and set aside to cool.

When you can put you heavily plastic gloved hand into the solution pull out as much lichen as you can hold and squeeze as much of the solution out as possible, back into the pot. Spread the lichen out on piles of newspaper to dry, turning frequently. This is best done in the sun as it will take 2-3 days to dry. Probably best to put it in a trash bag at night and change newspaper in the morning, it is ready when the lichen does not leave dye on your fingers when you squeeze it.

Make more lichen by repeating the process with successively darker green dyes in each replenishing solution:

1 1/2 pints of fresh glycerin
1 packet of green fabric dye

Eventually you may have to add more water if you cook off too much water by making lots of different colors.

If you don’t have too much lichen to color try and keep these proportions: three measures of water to one of glycerin with a suitable amount of dye.

Scenery and Terrain: Part I Modular Scenery.