Pulse of Life
I once saw a cluster of ‘Pixie Cup’ lichen sheltering in the charred remains of a eucalypt log. As I hovered above the tiny scene, I felt like the astronaut looking down at earth from space and realising the awesome and vulnerable pulse of life.
Space Time Continuum
I have been visiting the same beach for years and observing how this galaxy of foliose lichen occupies space over time. Over the years, despite erosion, salt spray and harsh ultraviolet light, it has rippled over rock, covering it in a lace-like continuum.
Fields and Fences
It is occasionally strange to recognise some lichenised rock faces as the fenced fields we see from airplane windows. Perhaps lichen, if we are humble enough to dip a knee and see, offers an accessible scale of learning to the everyday student.
Intergalactic
Perhaps cosmologists will one day look to lichen to understand how the universe works on a large scale.
Hanging Gardens of Char
Burnt out fences, broken structures, and bare metal in baking sun…no matter how discarded and disjointed the surfaces that humans present to nature, lichen can transform barren places into verdant vertical gardens.
Walk in the Park
One sunny afternoon, I took a walk in a remnant bush reserve. The light fell on a fallen everlasting daisy surrounded by a field of lichen. The rays of sunshine lit up dense foliage leaving me to wonder at progress in the face of hardship.
