Ironic that our first Plant Fact doesn't involve a plant? Well... recently, I saw a beautiful patch of lichen here in San Diego and snapped a photo ...got me thinking -- What is this stuff? The snapshot also reminded me of a trip I made to the New York Botanical Gardens where they had an exhibit: Lichens of the Ozarks.
I grew up in Arkansas near the Ozark Mountains and according to the NYBG exhibit -- the Ozarks have the most diverse collection of lichen in the world.
As a child, I always loved running out into the woods and playing with all of Mother Nature's toys... and in mind -- moss and lichens are some of her best!
So, what is this stuff? Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic association of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner such as algae.*
Want learn more about the NYBG exhibit: Lichens of the Ozarks? ...click here!
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| Lichen - San Diego County, CA |
I want to make a sculpture out of them!
ReplyDeleteDo it! ...that's one sculpture I wanna see!
ReplyDelete