Lichen Stones

This lichen covered stone rests atop one of Ed's stone walls. Stones seem so hard, so permanent. Water wears away stones over time, I realize that. This makes sense, but it's hard to imagine that lichens are eating the stones, slowly digesting them into soil. It's a funny idea plants eating stones. It seems like something out of Star Trek. Even if that is what is going on, I love the frosted effect they add to the top of a wall.




I don't know much about lichens. I look at this stone with wonder. There's so much going on here. Overall black coloring, round dark gray spots, tiny little white spots, and lacy lichens cover the surface of this stone. Perhaps I will be able to just enjoy the textural beauty of this stone, or maybe curiosity will send me searching for a book to find out more.

Growing Between A Rock and A Hard Place

Except for the night time rabbit and deer frivolities , there is not much happening in the garden. Here the end of February can be like that. I have my seeds. The packets are all alphabetized, but it's too soon to plant. We would only plant onion seeds now, but we will be using purchased plants this year after last year's successful crop.

The sun is out and the weather is warming a bit. The north side of the house is dripping. I wandered around looking for something interesting to photograph. Over on the south facing hill there are many surface stones that have been in place for a long time. I find the plants that grow directly on stones without benefit of soil fascinating. The growth on this stone reminds me of a coral reef.

The flowery growth on this stone is very flat and lacy looking.

This stone at the base of an oak tree has similar growth. I have not made a study of plants the grow directly on rocks. That's a project for another winter. Thankfully there's not enough winter left for that this year!

A Southern Exposure

The back of the gravel bank hill is steep and wooded. It faces south and receives sunlight flat on and full blast at this time of year. Gravel lies just below the surface here. Soil is thin so nothing grows in abundance. This princess pine peaks out above the leaf litter with no hint of snow or ice.

A clump of moss looks beautifully green amid the leaf litter and lichen covered stones. Although Ed took these pictures today while he was working outside, there is no clue that this is February. We can't actually say how long the snow has been gone from this south facing slope. It is not visible from the house and today was the first day that Ed happened over that way. Who knows how long these plants have been uncovered? How wonderful is is to see something so lovely and green at this time of year!

Today is a beautiful sunny day. It's still cold, but the warmth of the sun is growing stronger. A red tail hawk screeched from overhead, and we stopped to watch her soar upward into the blue sky on the rising air currents. It's so good to be able to play outside again, if only for a short time!