Sunday 20 September
I heard the Little Owl this evening! I have seen it only once over the whole summer and haven’t heard it at all. During the world cup a couple of summers back I saw or heard it every evening as I took a walk after each game.
Of course, I say ‘the’ Little Owl as if it’s the same one. An old friend that I have emotionally attached myself to. It may be the same one from the other summers, but could very likely be new. The truth is, it really doesn’t matter. It was great to hear it and as our walks will take place in dusk and twilight, hopefully we will see and hear more of it.
The lichens and mosses on the trees and fallen branches are becoming the next distraction as I walk. They absorb carbon dioxide and pollutants and purify our air. Naively, I bagged lichens and mosses together, one was chubby, the other flat. They are of course very different, they’re only commonality is that they grow on things that most other things can’t or don’t.
Lichens don’t need to root anywhere and are usually the organism that pioneers any lifeless place first. When a volcano erupts, wiping all life from its slopes, lichen is usually the first visible inhabitant. For this reason they are commonly considered the oldest living organisms on the planet.
I love that as my blog-year progresses (and I am at the halfway stage right now), I keep finding new natural fascinations. New features of the world on my doorstep that I knew of, but not about. Lichens and mosses, your next.
The Bald Birder 