Trypophobia

Day 30: This will sort out which of my readers are trypophobic! The term describes an irrational dread/fear of small holes or bumps, and Lecanora pacifica's apothecia certainly qualify as the latter. Tiny, they rarely exceed 1.2mm, so it takes a good eye to find them even though they are common on alders in the Pacific Northwest. The lichen thallus (body) is white or yellowish, and the apothecia may appear in a range of shades from pale pinkish-yellow to almost black. Some disks may exhibit more than one colour. I never walk the Bud Blancher trail without checking this tree. I guess I must not be trypophobic.