Katie Jane Herron 

A lifelong local plant lover and artist, Katie first developed a particular fascination with lichens during her coursework at Humboldt State University, in a class called Lichens and Bryophytes. After obtaining her degree in Botany, she continued to explore the lichen world artistically, collecting specimens to first incorporate in jewelry, and then in natural dyeing.

For several years, she has been exploring and cataloging the hidden colors of lichens, and more recently, the dyes of their cousins in the mushroom world. An avid knitter, it is one of her life’s greatest pleasures to weave into her creations all of the colors of California’s beautiful forests and wild spaces. After many years of semi-nomadic seasonal work on farms, vineyards, wine cellars, and botany surveys, Katie has settled in Arcata, Ca where she now works as a consulting utility forester.