Monday, 26 January 2009

Winter colour


On a grey winters day, here are some colourful pictures of the lichens growing on my blackcurrant bushes.


Not only are they a bright cheerful yellow but viewed up close the structure is amazing too.



4 comments:

Heather L. said...

The lichen is beautiful! Spring always begins much earlier for you than for us. I'll have to keep an eye on my rhubarb. I'm pretty sure it's not had a chance to do anything yet. My forced bulbs indoors make the house smell like spring which is so nice.

shadows and clouds said...

i love lichen lots! so nice that there are other people who do too! you can use it for dyeing fabrics naturally too. if i remember rightly different types give different colours not necessarily at all related to the colour of the lichen.

willow said...

Our spring does start earlier than yours I think, Heather but it is still some way off. There are little signs of its approach around - I photgraphed some snowdrops yesterday.

I've read lichens being used to dye wool. I have some books about fair isle knitting and the traditional colours were dyed from local plants and lichens. I would like to have a go someday but I think lichen is a protected plant and you are not supposed to gather it from the wild these days - maybe that wouldn't count if it was growing on your own blackcurrant bushes?

shadows and clouds said...

really? i didn't know it was protected, though i've never gathered any. in our area of italy the trees are full of it, so you should try making natural dyes here! i imagine that indeed your own blackcurrant bushes might not count :)