Lichens are symbiotic associations between fungi and algae. The fungus provides the alga with a place to live, and the alga photosynthesizes and shares some of the resulting 'food' with the fungus. One provides room; the other provides board. It benefits both species to hang out together, and provides a nice example of two phylogenetic 'branches' of the 'tree of life' merging into one. There are many varieties of lichens, living in a diversity of habitats, but they're easiest to spot in colder zones where they are first in line to colonize raw rock surfaces.

When I was in Ecuador in January, I saw a lot of lichens, and took some photos of them. I'm not a lichen expert, and I won't attempt to name these varieties. I'm more interested in them as aesthetic phenomena. I find them beautiful.

This one reminds me of ripples on a pond's surface, spreading out over decades and centuries:


The orange here is also a lichen:


These wispy lichens were three-dimensional structures that were found all over the ground surface (not encrusted on a rock) in the paramo ecosystem.


They were present in such profusion in Cotopaxi National Park that the ground looked from a distance as if it had a light layer of snow on it:


Other ground lichens:




Lichen-bearded goofball:

Labels: ecuador, fungi, humor, plants, south america, travel