I sure wasn't expecting to encounter breathtaking beauty when I went to tend the chickens this morning, but I did.
The chicken house interior seemed gloomy and dim although a bank of windows faces south. They should have been streaming in light on this glorious day. Glancing up I saw that the windows are far too dirty to admit much sunlight. I regularly attended to chores like that before arthritis, but haven't washed those windows for many a year.
On my way out of the chicken house I noticed that the clear plastic door, which faces west, also was dirty. Closer up, though, it isn't dirty – it's been occupied by lichen whose accretion has been so gradual that I was unaware of its change over time. As I scrutinized the lichen its beauty hit me in the soul. The restful grey-green color, the infinite variety of feathery patterns and their delicacy gave me a "Wow!" moment.
Lichens are so familiar here that we seldom notice them. In dry weather they shrivel up and hunker down to wait for moisture. A soft rain fell all day last Wednesday, so enlivening the lichens that they've put up spore cups, as the photo shows. (Look for the little white circles.)
This seemed a good time to survey the lichens that grow on our deck and patio, even the picnic table.
The grey ones are related to the chicken house door colony, but sulphur ones join them here to spice things up.
On the stone patio step I found a pointillist creation, which reminded me of Cleo, our family pointillist.
If you were here, we could walk around outdoors looking at lichens through a magnifying glass. We could go down into the woods to examine the remnants of old stone walls. Who knows what beauty might surprise us?
Lichen, an epiphyte, grows here on tree bark and stones and seems to prefer shade or semi-shade. For more about lichens go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen. The article includes a gorgeous botanical illustration of lichens.
The chicken house interior seemed gloomy and dim although a bank of windows faces south. They should have been streaming in light on this glorious day. Glancing up I saw that the windows are far too dirty to admit much sunlight. I regularly attended to chores like that before arthritis, but haven't washed those windows for many a year.
On my way out of the chicken house I noticed that the clear plastic door, which faces west, also was dirty. Closer up, though, it isn't dirty – it's been occupied by lichen whose accretion has been so gradual that I was unaware of its change over time. As I scrutinized the lichen its beauty hit me in the soul. The restful grey-green color, the infinite variety of feathery patterns and their delicacy gave me a "Wow!" moment.
Lichens are so familiar here that we seldom notice them. In dry weather they shrivel up and hunker down to wait for moisture. A soft rain fell all day last Wednesday, so enlivening the lichens that they've put up spore cups, as the photo shows. (Look for the little white circles.)
This seemed a good time to survey the lichens that grow on our deck and patio, even the picnic table.
The grey ones are related to the chicken house door colony, but sulphur ones join them here to spice things up.
On the stone patio step I found a pointillist creation, which reminded me of Cleo, our family pointillist.
If you were here, we could walk around outdoors looking at lichens through a magnifying glass. We could go down into the woods to examine the remnants of old stone walls. Who knows what beauty might surprise us?
Lichen, an epiphyte, grows here on tree bark and stones and seems to prefer shade or semi-shade. For more about lichens go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen. The article includes a gorgeous botanical illustration of lichens.
3 comments:
They grow on plastic and they grow on rocks and picnic tables. That gives you another reason to get moving, Shirley!
Point taken, Linda. I hadn't thought of that and I thank you for pointing it out.
Mamacita!
I love how the artist in you sees the beauty in the ordinary! Thank you for opening my eyes today to the colors and shapes of lichen!
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