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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
