"Look closely. The beautiful may be small." ~ Immanuel Kant
This morning I came across an article about lichens in the excellent New Zealand Geographic magazine, which included this beautiful 1904 lithograph (Ernst Haeckel Artforms of Nature )
As I am always intrigued and attracted by small and intricate objects, the picture
sent me to the net, and on a site called The Hidden Forest I found some
exquisite photos of New Zealand lichens:
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| Baeomyces heteromorphus, 12mm high; found on exposed soil and road cuttings |
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| Chrysothrix candelaris, 100mm; found on trees and often mistaken for paint! |
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| Cladina confusa, 90mm; found on disturbed ground |
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| Cladonia pityrea, 50mm |
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| Usnea pusilla, 40mm |
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| Placopsis gelida, 40mm in diameter; found on river stones |
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| Cladia retipora, 70mm |
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| Xanthoria parietina, 15mm in diameter; growing on a plum tree |
These and so many others - so delicate, so lovely. Red, white, black, green, orange - every shade except blue, and all kinds of different shapes and forms. They made my day!
"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole
life would change" ~ Buddha
Oh my word, that one looks like a miniature coral, and they are just beautiful. I'm smiling because I do things like that also, I wonder, I go off in search of. It's why I love the internet.
ReplyDeleteI was a nerdy little kid and use to read encyclopedias just for fun. I could always find something interesting.
beautiful...that is why i like macro photography, you never know how gorgeous some things are until you look closer
ReplyDeleteThat lithograph is stunning.
ReplyDeleteYou sure have brighten my day..and taught me something valuable things...what beauty in such wee and often unspoke of pieces of nature....just waiting to be seen and enjoyed! Thanks Alexia!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteSally - I'm still a nerdy little kid at heart :)
Twain12 - yes - I want a macro lens for my birthday!!
ET - if you click on the wikipedia link, there are other pages from the book - all equally fascinating
Karen - you always brighten mine, with your cool posts!
Very pretty, Alexia.
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BEAUTIFUL!!
ReplyDeletei love the lithograph!!
and then each picture is just more spectacular than the one before!
i love the 'little things'...and being able to see all the intricacies up close! wow!! i LOVE this. thanks!
oh...and perfect quotes too!
When I'm at my cabin, I sometimes go on moss walks. There are so many kinds of moss that grow there. I like to squat down and look closely. In the spring there are tiny blossoms--so delicate. I might not cover a great distance on these walks, but I get to see so much beauty. Great post. Thanks!
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