Petrified and Lichenized

In a geological wilderness devoid of plants and dominated by subdued earthy tones, I came across a jumble of fossilized logs. It is always a treat to see petrified wood, but these logs, particularly the end pieces, were really colorful, not from being agatized, but from a veneer of lichens. The other rock surfaces for miles around eroded at such a rate that lichens could not linger long enough to become visible.

 

I was attracted by the colors, but then the struggle became obvious. A lichen species is a mutualistic relationship between an alga and a fungus. On this little island of stability in a sea of erosion, suitable space had filled up. I could imagine the jostling of lichen species, each composed of a diverse team (alga and fungus), struggling with several other lichen species to colonize and defend space, with the struggle continuing for thousands of years.

 

Done