Lichens

While on top of one of the hills behind my house, I photographed several species of lichens. These amazing life forms inhabit the harshest environments on the planet Earth. Imagine being able to survive on solid rock. In fact, I read yesterday that the European Space Agency exposed lichens to the vacuum of space for 15 days and they survived.

Lichens are actually two life forms (fungus and alga) that live together in a weird relationship that helps them survive where they couldn't as individuals. The ones on top of the mountain are the only living things that are growing on the rock since the end of the ice age approximately 10 000 years ago.

When I looked closely at my photos, I realized there were interesting colours, shapes and design to these interesting life forms. I created a Lichens Gallery with a dozen photos ... feel free to check them out. http://www.lanephotography.com/plants/lichens/lichens_01.htm