Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Ruby Tuesday: British Soldiers

This is my first entry in Ruby Tuesday, a neat photo meme from theteach at Work of the Poet. Every Tuesday, she posts a photo of something red and invites us all to come play along.

I really enjoyed doing Project Black, and I kind of miss it now that it's over. There's something about focusing on a particular color that makes one pay attention to the world in a new way. Even more interesting is that different colors lead to different places. I look forward to exploring Red for a while, and seeing what all the other participants find.

And so...

The vine growing on this old stump caught my attention, with its purple flowers and fruits that look like little Roma tomatoes. But look closer, and you'll find that the lichens growing on the wood itself have little red fruiting bodies, too.

BerryVine4

A few minutes on Google helped me identify them as species Cladonia, A.K.A. "British Soldiers". Along the way, I learned a good deal about lichens in general. For example, did you know that lichens are really a symbiotic system, composed of fungi and algae or bacteria, all cooperating to form one organism?

BritishSoldiers

The tallest of these is about a third of an inch high. And me without a tripod. Still, for a hand-held macro shot it came out pretty well, I think.

10 comments:

ellen b. said...

It really does make me more aware of color and things around me when I'm on one of these color photo searches. I find it to be fun for me. Love the red you found...
Thanks for your visit to my ruby!

DrowseyMonkey-Photos said...

Your photos are beautiful :) I thought they were berries until you went closer. Very interesting.

Sandcastle Momma said...

Those photos are beautiful! We have a lot of lichen in the woods around here but I've never seen any that blooms. Very cool!

maryt/theteach said...

Your shots sure did come out well! And now I know something about lichens! Happy Ruby Tuesday! Thanks for playing along and enjoying it! :)

Jim said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jim said...

Hi Mara, I learned new things about lichens. They all look so cozy (and Red), I'll bet those ladies don't want any green buttons! :-)
Happy RRtU, thank you for peeking in on my 'dog sleeping.'
..
BTW, if you ever find the whole set of lyrics to Little Green Buttons, please let me know. I might steal the verse anyway some time. With your OK, but I will find another source first.
..

MyMaracas said...

Hello, everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comments.

And Jim -- The audio only does half the song, but I believe the printed lyrics here are complete. Use 'em if you like!

Storytellin' Mama said...

Really great shots.

I love taking the time to look at things up close. Thanks for the visual reminder!

Leora said...

These are lovely. I kept looking for redcoats and battlefields because of your title. That grey and red together at the bottom is quite a scene.

lynda Howells said...

l love doing challenges like this red one. As an artist and photographer they help me to really look at things not just "see". Love your image.