Lichenscape

Day 51: In between downpours, I dashed out into the yard to hunt for something "blog-worthy," and only came up with this delightful lichenscape which was growing on a fallen branch under Big Doug. Douglas-fir supports a wide variety of lichens with some species only occurring in the upper canopy, so I carefull inspect any "donations" following windstorms. We haven't had a lot of bluster yet this fall, but the rain also contributes to the downfall of fragile or damaged limbs when bark and lichen colonies become sodden. In this case, there's nothing unusual here, just Parmelia, Platismatia, perhaps a little Usnea, and lurking in amongst the foliose bits, two tiny mushrooms of indeterminate species, not exactly something you'd expect to find on a branch from forty feet up. Aside from the other questions this raises, I am compelled to ask: How much space do fungi require? The answer is simple: As mushroom as possible. Okay, I'll go away now.