As you’ve seen from previous social media posts, I have thoroughly enjoyed photographing lichen and mosses this rainy winter season.   I’m not quite sure how or why I’ve become a little obsessed with it.

What I once considered a plight between the cracks in the pavement, I now have an appreciation for the beauty and fortitude of moss and lichen.  Maybe it was seeing it’s use in floral design that made me see it in a different light.   Or maybe it was my walks around my neighborhood wanting to find any plant life that I could photograph for social media.  Heck, it could stem from my love of Richard Ayoade (some of you will get that). Whatever the catalyst for my new found appreciation, I am so happy that it happened.

Lichen is a composite organism that forms from algae or cyanobacteria living amongst multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.  Lichen are not plants and come in a variety of colors and structures.  Some may be small leafless branches, flat leaf-like structures, flakes that look like peeling paint, a powder-like appearance or other forms.    (sourced from Wikipedia)

Moss are small flowerless plants that grow in dense green clumps or mats in damp or shady locations.  They do not have seeds but have stalks that contain a single cell filled with spores for use in fertilization. (sourced from Wikipedia)

Lichen and Moss are fascinating and add a patina in our everyday life that goes unnoticed.  So next time you are out for a walk, eating al fresco, or just simply out shopping, don’t just stop and smell the roses, look at the moss/lichen that is growing on the side of the building, in the cracks of the pavement, or the branch of the tree.  I know you’ll see the beauty in it, too.

If you lichen me, follow me on social media:
Facebook: @marmaladeskyfloraldesign
Instagram: @marmalade_sky_floral_designs
Blog post: marmaladeskyfloral.com
Email: marmaladeskyfloral@gmail.com

May your day be filled with flowers!