In February it can be worthwhile exploring nature with the eyes of a bumblebee
If you use a lens or loupe to explore the smallest plants and creatures you may find strong textures in the slanting evening light.
The mindful part comes in slowing down and focussing down on the smallest scale imaginable. Mosses are well seen in winter:
Some mosses growing on fence posts have fruiting bodies in winter.
There are at least three different lichens fruiting on this tree bark, all sharply demarcated and fighting for light and nutrients.
The orange leafy lichen in the centre has the wonderful name of Xanthoria parietana [xanthus yellow, parietal: on walls] while there are a few chocolate-coloured fruiting bodies of creamy white Lecanora chlarotera. This species colonises recently planted semi-urban trees for instance in supermarket car parks. These two lichens grow well with nutrients, such as bird droppings, implying that birds roost or perch nearby. The black dots are fruiting bodies of the green Lecidella elaeochroma which is often surrounded by an irregular black edge.
Meanwhile this little treat is the scarlet elf cup fungus Sarcoscypha coccinea which fruits in winter and grows on twigs among leaf litter.
All identification is provisional based on appearance, correct me if I'm wrong
No comments:
Post a Comment