Lichen

For several decades I have been a natural history enthusiast. An amateur, a dilettante who knows a little about a lot but is not an expert about anything.

During all that time I have always looked at lichens but never spent time learning more about them.
I do know that they are not plants. They have no roots and they do not take water and nutrients from the soil. They are not fungi either. But I believe they are a combination of algae and fungi which gives rise to something different.
They are not parasites but take what they need from the air. This explains why they do well where air quality is good but they are rarely found in cities where air is polluted.

I also know that there are many hundreds of varieties and many need a microscope for identification. I think there are probably at least three different varieties on this photograph.

So over the rest of this year I plan to blip a number of different ones and to try to learn a little about them.

I believe that blipper into the hills is knowledgeable on this subject so if I make any serious blunders I hope he may correct them.