Nearby Nature can be Unexpectedly Outstanding

This afternoon, Clifford and I went on a little expedition to a granite outcrop community not far from where we live. A friend of ours knew of our interest in lichens (really cool organisms that are really two organisms living in close symbiosis) and such and told us about this place but didn't indicate how truly spectacular it was. It was a magical garden of lichens and mosses, many different species. There was an ephemeral stream still running across the bare rock from last night's rain. Massive cedars grew where there was enough soil. There was some invasive privet, but the place seemed to be holding its own much better than the other outcrop communities I have seen. This is the finest example of this type of plant community that I have seen anywhere, and it was hidden in plain sight.

The picture on the left is an example of how massive the Tulip Trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) are at Joyce Kilmer. This forest was never cut. This is what these trees can do. The ones in my yard and the ones from my childhood home, though not saplings by any standard, are still mere youngsters compared to these giants, these elders.

Tomorrow, I will return to the granite outcrop, this time with my camera. I wasn't expecting to be impressed enough to need it today, but astonishing things really do lie just outside the front door.