I was hauling some things out to the burn pile today and one of the fallen branches I picked up was covered in this lichen. Now you know, I have seen this particular type of lichen for most of my life and I never really considered what it is exactly. Hell, I didn't even know it was a lichen. Even though I had to take some fairly advanced biology courses for nursing school, I don't remember that much about a whole lot of things, fungi and lichens being two of them.
Google Lens says this is Usnea florida (Flowery Beard Lichen) and my plant ID calls it Parmeliaceae which is a family of lichen that can grow and flourish just about anywhere, from tree canopies to in-between rocks. They thrive in a multitude of climates as well, ranging from the Arctic to the rainforest. It is a massive family with more than 27000 species within it.
I cannot claim to now know a lot more about it than I did before but at least I put a little effort into learning a little more about it.
It's very cool, isn't it? Nature is simply never-endingly diverse and fascinating.
My outside work today consisted of pulling up the rest of the larger variety of field pea vines and doing a little more weeding. Also, I pulled up another tomato plant and a few pepper plants that are no longer viable as well as the eggplants which have spent all of their energy and just looked so very, very exhausted and ready to be put out of their misery.
Bless their hearts. I thank them for their service.
Garden pictures.
The Morning Glory That Is Attempting To Eat The Earth.
Yes. It is pretty. And next year it will be growing on even more fences, choking whatever else is trying to grow within its reach of root and vine.
See the roses up there?
The teeniest, tiniest sprouts of arugula which I planted DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY! Arugula don't mess around, y'all.
Maurice making her final tour of the field peas before I pulled them.
And...
Maurice checking this out:
Now, had I ever really studied the underside of the pumpkin blossom? No. I had not. Is it exquisite?
Yes. Yes it is. And see that baby pumpkin? Babies everywhere!
And finally, my sun-starved firespike is finally blooming.
I have such a special place in my heart for the firespike. It is not, to my knowledge or in my experience, invasive. I take great care every fall to take cuttings and root them over the winter and then plant them in the spring. They do recover from freezes but they show no signs of a preternatural desire to cover the earth as so many other things in this yard do.
And the hummingbirds love them.
I think their particular shade of scarlet is especially pleasing and the green of their leaves make a beautiful contrast. They will bloom until first frost, most likely.
So we shall let this post be mostly a botanical one.
Yesterday, when I was at pottery and so much was going on in the studio with chat and music and the sounds of the throwing-down of clay on the wedging table and the wheels, all of which I really do love, I stepped outside to sand off a few rough edges of my leaf platter and the sudden cessation of all of that was instantly calming and because the pottery studio is housed in a community center on a park, there were the sounds of crickets and the breezes in the trees and it struck me that there is a very, very good reason I want to be outside so much, even if that is only to be sitting on my back porch.
I am not the sort of woman who needs to be hiking in the mountains or kayaking on the rivers. But I do very much need to be outside with trees around me, with birds and their songs and calls to admire, and the sounds of insects with their hums and their chirps, their clicks and their whirs, with at least a piece of the sky visible, a place to look up and notice and be at peace with. And it would seem that I also need to interact with the dirt and what grows in it, to dig and to pull and to plant and to pick.
There is no end to the learning, the joy, the peace, the mystery, the delight.
And it is where I belong. If a river is involved or an ocean or yes, even mountains, sometimes, I will not complain.
Love...Ms. Moon
What a lovely post. I was outside quite a bit of today, as well. Well, for me. Being gone for a month, there’s a lot to be done. I pulled the few potatoes i got. Grabbed seeds from the calendula and a few other odd jobs. It all helps and moves the body which i need.
ReplyDeleteWonderful lichen, especially the little solid spots. It reminds me of what I heard called "reindeer moss" when I was growing up. Haven't had enough lichen in my life lately. There has been pruning and weeding, to the point that I can hardly close my hands tonight they are so still and sore. All that and anyone other than me would look around and think no one ever lifts a finger here.
ReplyDeleteCeci
A delish haul of lichen! Used for so many things - I have used it to dye wool back in the olden days when dying was fun. I produced a subtle warm yellow color. Being outside is the best place to be, i agree. Such nice weather lately. Glad you are back pounding clay- can't wait to see what comes from you head and hands.
ReplyDeleteMorning glory take over the alleys- anything and everything gets covered. How beautiful strangulation looks.
Loved this. Beautiful imagery. I get the need to be outdoors and noticing beauty. It’s grounding-excuse the silly pun.
ReplyDeleteAnd, of course, Maurice (Lulu for a day), is perfect, as always, prancing around. -Nicol
I agree that outside is the best place. Yesterday I sat out watching thistledown drift off the plant in the wind, bees and butterflies busy everywhere, birds shouting. It was just about the best.
ReplyDeleteI love being outside too, hearing the birds, the wind in the trees, the scents, and the sky. Alberta has a big sky and it's always interesting to look at.
ReplyDeleteI have a love/hate relationship with my phone. It's too tempting, all the time, but it also allows me to learn about everything that I find interesting, whenever I want. Love/hate. That lichen is so beautiful.