I came across this scene a while back, and it was unusual in that the lichen had established on a tree with no other various lichens anywhere near it, even though it was located in heavy bush
It is rare for me to find a clear shot like this where the colours and tones of a lichen and its substrate work well together…to me anyway.
Any feedback is always welcome.
m4/3, handeld at 1/5s, f11, ISO 400
60 mm macro
Slight crop and tonal adjustment in LR.
Hi Phil,
1/5s handheld? I am impressed and a bit jealous 
I used to have rock steady hands but not so much these days, now 1/30s is the very best I can do
Seriously though, back to you!
This is great!
I love the contrast and the shape of the lichen is very photogenic, the texture on the tree is perfect for accentuating the lichen!
The crop and composition is spot on, Phil
The vertical orientation of the lichen works perfect with the vertical lines in the tree.
Love the lighting.
Nice find.
Well done!!
Phil, the scene caught my attention and was surprised when I saw “Lichen” in the title too. I’d be the first to admit I had no idea lichen in general would look like this and of all things be attached to a tree bark as well. Thinking about it I guess there are various types of lichen and I’m just tuned into the generic rock type(s).
Regardless, I like the extreme contrasts between the light green and extreme dark bark BG. The BG really helps outline the lichen formation perfectly… 
If you shot this with the G9, I’m not surprised you could handhold this with proper technique. I’m amazed at how much leeway I get with mine. Spoiled rotten we are.
Lots of lichens love lignin. Oh yeah, I had to go there. Sorry. Alliteration overload. But seriously, lichens are some of the first ‘terraformers’ if you will, in nature. Because they can thrive in environments with little nutrients and virtually no soil, they are the foundation of soils and often start the process of making a barren rock habitable by other plants and animals. The symbiosis of algae and fungi is what makes this possible. Truly a wonder of nature.
I like the simplicity and how the forms and shapes in the foliose come through so strongly. Was it wet? The green is so vivid I think it must be. Plus the bark is dark as well and so the effect is bolder than it might be in dry conditions. In the larger view it is a tad soft, so I might have upped the ISO a bit in order to get it a little sharper, but that’s all I can add for improvement. Sweet scene.
Thankyou @Merv, @Paul_Breitkreuz, and @Kris_Smith for your kind comments.
Kristen:
Yes the G9 is a wonderful wee camera, way ahead of its time when released. I just love the size (bit bigger than other m4/3 cameras so it fits my hands better), and stabilisation in particular.
I struggled to find a title for this one…but your ‘Lichen on lignin’ is a big improvement on my choice. I agree, lichens are wonderful in their diversity and true colonisers.
The lichen in this shot was wet as you noted, and the light really made the scene glow.
I am always a bit hestant to increase the ISO with the G9 as I don’t want to have to struggle with reducing shadow noise later in PP with images that have a dark(ish) background. What ISO are you happy to go to?
Thanks for you comments. Cheers.
Great find here Phil and nicely presented too. That lichen couldn’t have found a better background to grow on. Not only is the color contrast pleasing, but I’m enjoying the texture contrast also, between the softness of the lichen and roughness of the tree bark. At first glance I thought it was some leaf lettuce growing on a tree, ha ha. Thank you for sharing one of nature’s treasures.
