Tiny : : Secret Garden

We said goodbye to Anne and Harold, and, of course Daisy first thing this morning and I got busy sweeping up the salt and pepper piles of dog hair and readying things for Matt and Tim who arrive this weekend for a 'boys weekend' with OilMan. They'll probably be happy for me to cook dinner for them….

I keep some twigs in a mug with my paintbrushes which I used for a drawing exercise months ago. They came from the oak trees which, despite the often searing heat, are covered with mosses and lichens of all sorts. It reminded me of a story one of the docents at the Bouvier Preserve told us. One of the other docents was a lichen expert and found himself leading a hike for a group of people who professed an interest in lichens, They never got out of the parking lot.

I'm sure there are enough organisms on my twig to keep somebody busy for quite awhile. I marvel at the variety shown on a section of twig which is no more than two inches long. How many separate kinds of lichen can you see?

Thanks to Jensphotos for hosting.