"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
