clinging to life
in a bed of old leaves
fairy cups
(Nothing like a leisurely walk to bring me down to earth. My senses are always taken by the beautiful bounty to be discovered in the woods.)
This is a picture of xanthoria parentina, a common form of yellow orange lichen. It can be found growing on rocks and trees in many climates around the world. There are approximately 13,500 species of lichen-forming fungi. They are important to life on the planet. Like trees, they provide a means to convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into oxygen. We need them to live.
