Tangled Branches: Cultivated

happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

How is a Maple Tree Like a British Soldier?

British Soldier Lichen, that is. Give up?

They both wear red hats in the spring.

I thought I had no wildflowers at all to show for Week 8 of Wildflowers in Winter, but how about if we broaden the definition a bit? This maple tree is 1) wild, and 2) flowering. So it's a wildflower.

Calling the British Soldier Lichen a wildflower is more of a stretch, but I think the bright red fruiting body is pretty. Just about a year ago - the first time I saw it - it took me by surprise, but now I know where and when to look for it. This one is growing next to the frog stream and I found it while looking for the source of the very loud frog songs. I never did find a frog, despite hearing them very close by.

Or could we count dandelions as wildflowers? I found the first one of the season yesterday.

Thanks to Elizabeth Joy of Wildflower Morning for this pleasant diversion from winter.

But stop by here in a few weeks and I should have some more-traditional wildflowers to show. I just saw an entire hillside covered with bluets this afternoon. Well, I think they were bluets - it was hard to tell at 65 MPH. I pointed them out to the spouse, but he didn't volunteer to stop.

Labels: lichens, maples, weeds, wildflowers

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Primitive Tapestries

It's December. The leaves have fallen, the snow ~~has~~ had not, and the woods look gray and brown.
The view from the deck, Central Virginia

A closer look, though, is rewarded. Nearly every tree has draped about its base a green tapestry, self-woven by mosses and lichens.
An especially varied example

Even closer inspection changes the tapestry into miniature landscapes.

I'm no closer to knowing the names of these primitive plants and lichens than I was last winter, so you're own your own as to the IDs. I think for the time being, I'll just enjoy looking at them and not worry about their names.

I got a little carried away with the photographs and narrowed it down to just a few here, but the entire collection is in my December Picasa album.