The Very Best Stuff

On Cemetery Point walkway yesterday a Clapper Rail family uncharacteristically allowed me to observe them up close. The parent birds were proudly showing off their four babies. Real cool!

(Rail chick) So why is it most humans have never laid eyes on a Clapper rail...

(Adult Rail) Clappers live a secluded life.

The home of the Clapper Rails. Tidal flats covered with Black Needle Rush.

This boardwalk winding through acres of black needle rush is a gem. Giving up close access to a place most of us could not otherwise go.

Right under your nose

If you've never stopped, got down on your knees in the dirt and taken a close up look at Lichen then you've actually missed seeing one of the most diverse, interesting and beautiful members of the plant kingdom. As a definition...
Lichen is a composite organism that emerges from algae or cyanobacteria (or both) living among filaments of a fungus in a mutually beneficial (symbiotic) relationship.
Lichen has always intrigued me. I've observed, photographed, and attempted identification of lichen every spot on this planet that I've ever been. Lichen is everywhere.
The Cedar Keys are no exception. it is ever present.
The photos are two examples of lichen I found today.