"Lichens are fungi that have discovered agriculture"
- lichenologist Trevor Goward.
I want to thank those who commented on my last post requesting more stories about my Mom and me and I've started looking through old pictures that help tell the tale..
Meanwhile, I hope you don't think this picture Eeyore took of several different kinds of lichen, on malapai rock is a cop out! You can click to get a closer look.
Lichen is amazing in that it's composed of fungi that live in cooperation with algae, bacteria or both. Since fungi is not capable of photosynthesis, the process of utilizing light to process food, it has formed a cooperative union with plants that do utilize photosynthesis, or a fungi lives with bacteria that can draw nitrogen from the air to make biologically useful compounds, or both.
If you want to know more about lichen, I found this wonderful site that tells all about them.. some are thought to be the oldest life forms on earth.. and the site also provides a fascinating picture gallery.
I've been calling some lichens moss for years! Who knew!
13 comments:
Beautiful! Caribou eat lichens ('reindeer moss'). Very interesting stuff.
Love the vast variety of color and textures in this shot. I lichen it...
I heard a local tale about lichen on trees being a guide to whether the air is getting better -- or worse. We had a tree near the front door on which the lichen gradually went away. ??? Then the tree fell down & I didn't think about it any more. A very nice picture, BTW. Lovethose colors.
Nice photograph and interesting post.
OldSD, interesting about the Caribou..I guess lichen is one thing that grows in the frozen north land...
Photo, thanks:)
GJ, we'll have to try to remember to look at lichen as the Prescott basin becomes more poluted..
Thanks OldML:)
I was very fortunate two years ago to take my children with me to Arizona. One of the places we saw was Sedona. Our tour guide, someone who worked for the Park Service before Bush slashed the budget to pay for the war and loads of people lost their jobs, said that the more yellow lichen is, the cleaner the air is.
Great photo.
Beautiful photo...I love all the colors and the rich textures. When I looked at it a second time, I now see a Japanese bonsai tree growing in a white pot! Maybe lichen are like clouds in that they paint their own pictures!
That is a wonderful post!! I love that photograph, well done Eeyore!
Hi Linda, How pretty. I love all the colors.
Lichens can be really beautiful and have such a big range of colours. I must admit I'm not always sure where mosses end and lichens begin! Hoping to be around a bit more after recent absence.
Church Lady, I'm glad you and your children got to visit Sedona. It's one of my favorite places:)
Amber, I love that! Nature painting away..if only we take a moment to see it!
Thanks Lydia, natures paintbrush!
Rowan, I didn't realize either, the different forms lichen take..
Wonderful colours in that photo.
And I enjoyed your tale of you and your mum going to the cinema, and your tribute to Bob Hope, he was an amazing man and wonderful comedian for sure.
Yes, we are back from our lovely month in Florida, thank you for sticking with my blog when I didn't have internet access to check up on everyone's blogs. We had a lovely time, I really needed that holiday. But I have come home to cold Canadian snow, and I'd like to scoot off back to the beach and the palm trees RIGHT NOW!
More Florida pictures to be posted in the next few days.
Ex, welcome home! I don't blame you for wanting to go back to warmer climes..no snow here..just cold!
Post a Comment