Lichens and snow, home

The rain continued—a blessing, to be sure—as did my cold—a curse, without a doubt—but as the storm abated, I decided to head outdoors for a spirit reviving and head clearing trek. It was, however, still too wet to risk the dSLR, so, my trusty old and still weatherproof Fuji in tow, I pointed my body towards the millpond. There was, in truth, very little to photograph, except for moss now turned truly Irish green and an abundance of very happy lichens. These delightful organisms are combinations of fungi and algae or cyanobacteria, sometimes both, that gather together in a symbiotic relationship. I've long wanted to learn lichen identification, and I even have a copy of the Bible of the sport, Lichens of North America, by Irwin Brodo and Sylvia and Stephen Sharnoff. At about five pounds and nearly 800 pages, this is not a portable field guide but rather a book to cherish—the Sharnoffs photographs are incredible—and spend a lifetime studying. I may not have quite that long, so I looked at the photo I took of the lichens on a rock formation and, at home, tried to match what I documented. My guess is some kind of Cladonia. That's OK for now.