Day 101: Sometimes you go in pursuit of one thing, only to return with something different. Desperate for blog material, I'd pulled into Smallwood Park to see if there were any "garbage pigeons" (Bald Eagles) in the trees. Personal opinion of the species aside, Baldies are usually a hit with my readers, particularly those on the east coast where the obnoxious things aren't as common as sparrows. Yeah, there was one sitting in a customary spot, so I hopped out of the car and wove my way through the brush to a spot where I could get a clear view, but Eagle had other ideas. As soon as I stepped into the open, he flew off upstream. Still not feeling exactly well, I wasn't inclined toward even a short hike, so I headed back to the car. As I went past one of the boulders lining the driveway, a tight cluster of little black spots tugged at the tail of my eye. "Oh, some of that stuff," I said to myself, referring to something I haven't been able to identify, and was about to walk on, but for some reason, I did an about-face and took a closer look. Definitely not what I'd thought, and definitely not something I was going to dismiss without further analysis. I figured a few minutes in drizzle wouldn't kill me, so I snapped some photos and lifted a small specimen to bring home. I checked the other rocks on the way out. Nope, only on the one. Best guess? Physcia phaea. And now I know where it lives.
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