Fire and Ice


There is always something interesting to look at when walking about the neighborhood. One simply needs to know where to look. 

I was disappointed when I first set out on my walk this morning. The weather report said it was supposed to start snowing about 5 AM and be snowing in earnest at 8:30 AM. When I looked out my window after getting up, there was a clear sky and no snow on the ground. 

By the time I headed out the door, the sky had begun to let loose with a pathetic imitation of snow. The kind of snow that is more wet than flake. Snow I think of as snain (snow+rain). 

Oh well, I needed the exercise, so off I went. And, I took my camera, just in case. 

Halfway through my walk I spotted this beautiful clump of fire moss. It was well perched on a cement post (lest you think I was laying down on the job). 

Small crystals of snow clung to the hair-like structure of the moss, which is about 1 inch tall. The height of the post let me have a nice soft, distant background. 

Fire moss (Creatodon sp.) is one of the most widely distributed types of moss in the world. It particularly likes disturbed ground in urban areas. Fire moss tolerates pollution in urban environments. It gets its name from its flame-red stalks. 

Don't be disappointed if you don't find what you are looking for on your next walk. You might just see something extraordinary instead. 



 

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