I heart lichen . . .

piano rock

Hiking in and around Snow Canyon State Park in Southern Utah was a revelation. So much beauty, both subtle and grandiose - from gradations of color in rock, soil and lichen to majestic peaks, fluorescent red ants, skies that went on forever, sunrises and sunsets to inspire hope, generosity and awe of all that is, was and will be. ​

As an unexpected bonus several summer storms brought heavy rains and leaden skies to the desert, making the colors more vibrant still, waking lichen, moss, leaves and all manner of living and growing things out of dormancy. 

Lichen proved a revelation, art on stone, sturdy, persistent, abiding, beautiful, mysterious, evocative, earthy lichen. 

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I heart lichen . . .

How many colors can lichen be . . .

Resurrection Moss, two days after heavy rain

Resurrection moss is a type of plant that hibernates in times of stress, most often due to a lack of moisture. In Southern Utah it occurs in profusion on the red rock of the area, making the cliffs look ‘dirty’ in its dormant state. Then when it comes into contact with moisture, it blooms emerald green and soft against the red rock, in a matter of moments. 

Moqui marbles . . .

Moqui marbles are scattered across Utah and Arizona - the stony spheres are concretions (new word for me!) sandstone balls cemented by a hard shell of iron oxide minerals. Often called moqui marbles, acres of the chocolate-colored rocks are scattered across Utah and Arizona. They tumble from the pale, cream-colored Navajo Sandstone beds, when wind and water wash away the softer rock.

For decades, the rocks were simply a geological oddity. Then, look-alikes were discovered on Mars (the so-called Martian blueberries). The milestone — among the early evidence for water on Mars — boosted interest in Earth's iron baubles. [Photo Gallery: See Fantastic Moqui Marbles]
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con·cre·tion/kənˈkrēSHən/noun

• A hard solid mass formed by the local accumulation of matter, especially within the body or within a mass of sediment: "a mass of small concretions, each built up layer upon layer around some small nucleus"

Oxford Dictionaries

Moqui​ proper noun

1. (dated) Hopi

Origin: From Hopi móókwi. According to a Walpi chief and other older Hopi consulted in the 1940's, the name is the original self-designation of the Hopi móókwi. Similar names have been borrowed into neighboring languages, e.g. Zuni muukwi, Southern Paiute mo·q·wi-, Isleta Southern Tiwa buxíde, Acoma Keresmú·cʰi. It is now considered offensive due to similarity with Hopi móóki (“dead”).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.