Liking me some lichens!

Meandering around the hillside, I see a lot of strange things..things that most folks walk by and never pay heed.  A tiny leaf, a pretty stone or a small feather can hold my attention for a good bit of time. I not only look at the "pretty side" of the item but, also, have to examine every aspect of its workings.  I want to see the pores of the leaf or the veins of that feather.  Then, there is nothing more fascinating to me than that of a fallen log!  A dead piece of wood is a virtual smorgasbord of interesting tidbits!  From the flying squirrel's nest to the creepy-crawly bugs, I can always find some factor to absorb my thoughts.

Today's find was just that..something on a dead log!  Imagine that!  Lichen!  I have always found lichens of any ilk just about the most enthralling thing alive!  I mean..think about it..whether flat and papery or tall and feathery, lichens are (as my kids used to say) cool!    I, by no means, would ever attempt to identify the sort of lichen that I find because there is most likely a billion or so different types.  I could spend years looking through books and still not find one that closely resembles my specimen or I may open a book and see two dozen that are so similar that it would be most difficult to distinguish one from the other.  So, that said, I just enjoy them for what they are...lichen!  The ones I found today were most interesting as either they were covered with black dots or tiny black hairs!

I sat pondering what possible use these appendages could serve and decided that perhaps they have something to do with reproduction.  The little black blobs could very well be some "seed" part that when torn from the main organism, regenerates into a new being! But those hairs..what function could they serve?  Perhaps they are some sort of trigger mechanism that aids in reproduction!  Sounds logical to me...if lichens reproduce by spores or some other "seed type thing" that needed to be dispersed..othewise, that would just be ridiculous! I have no clue..but this sounds like a viable option!! Not really...nope..not really..I have no clue.  

Still, I find the lichens fascinating enough to spend quite a bit of time just examining them!  On one small limb, I counted what appeared to be twelve different types!  Some flat, some covered with dots, some feathery..all were lichens!  

Did you know?  Lichens are an important part of any eco-system!  If there are a lot of lichens, then the air is pure..if there are few..watch out, as the air is polluted!  Yep..'tis true!  Also, animals use a good many of the lichens!  Not only do animals and birds eat the bodies of the lichens, they also use them as nesting material!  Hummingbirds prefer to use lichens as their nest-building materials!  The nest is sturdy but also highly camouflaged!  It perfectly blends with the other lichens on a tree branch and is nigh on impossible to see! Now, doesn't all of this just make you want to go out and search for lichens?  If you do, look for them on things like dead limbs, fence posts, the ground or just the sides of some trees.  Lichens grow most anywhere!  Why, they have even been found on cars!  When you do locate some..please remember to respect them!  They are a life form that is important to a balanced eco-system!