I don't know much about lichens, except that they can be used for natural dyeing (right, Bettina?).
A few days later, Dan and I were back in the woods looking for small fallen trees for a zig zag fence to put by the big garden. Again, a few things caught my eye.
What an amazing world we live in.
Blue Lichen & Other Observations photos & text copyright
November 2009 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/
November 2009 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/
yes, you can dye with all kinds of lichen - though I've never seen the blue ones from your photo! I usually take the longer bearded ones from fallen branches over here... I love those microcosm photos from nature - it makes you see a whole different world! and - I am not very good with hunting for edible mushrooms - but you can use most of them for dyeing too:)) (sorry about the sauerkraut recipe, I still have to hunt mine out again....)
ReplyDeleteWow, that blue lichen is *incredibly* blue! I've never seen anything like that before - but I bet it gives pink dye. Just beause that's how natural dyeing seems to run! Or yellow. Everything gives yellow. ;)
ReplyDeleteNature sure is amazing!!!!
ReplyDeleteI've never done it but I understand mushrooms can also be used for dyeing.
I've never seen blue lichen either. Pretty!
I'm with you....simply amazing!
ReplyDeleteThat blue lichen is so cool! I've never seen anything like it (and you know I like to look at lichen!)
ReplyDeleteSue
That is a beautiful shade of blue. I would love to see you dye some yarn with it!
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are lovely!
Ya'll, one of these days I will be set up again to do some dyeing. Hopefully next summer. I'm thinking that once we finally get the living room floor down and I can get my hutch in and my dishes unpacked, I'll be able to sort the rest of it all out and find the things that are temporarily misplaced!
ReplyDeleteIn nature things live so wonderfully together, especially the small things. All made for one another...
ReplyDeleteThank you for the beautiful pictures. That blue is out of this world!
Wow! Those are sure amazing!
ReplyDeletebeautiful bits of colour and texture! This time of year especially, they make for pretty bits in the fall scenery. You can use the mushrooms for dyeing as well. I haven't found enough of them around to try unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful colors and textures you shared with us! Good luck with natural dying; I'll stick to enjoying things as photo subjects. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis blue lichen is amazing, I have never seen or heard about anything like this! Here we have a lot of lichens, brown, green yellow, orange, but not blue.
ReplyDeleteI think if you can dye with something depends on whether it contains a pigment which can react and bind permanently (covalently) to the fiber, perhaps with the help of a mordant. And unfortunately many berries, blossoms, leaves have pigments which won't bind, or perhaps which will fade rapidly when exposed to sunlight. But is is sure worth a try!
I have never seen blue lichens before! I wonder what kind they are.
ReplyDeleteYes, nature is very inspirational.
I love your pictures there is so much inspiration in nature, it always leaves me in awe.
ReplyDeleteI love every single picture that your shared, but I really am partial to the last one. I'm a fan of purple and green but never have seen them together in nature like that. I'd love to have a collection of your images when I need dye inspiration.
ReplyDeleteNumber 4, the green pine looking item is Trailing Pine, or that is what my mother always called it. We found ours along the creek banks and at Christmas we gathered it and used it to decorate the house with. It lasted fairly long and was very soft and flexible. I haven't seen any in years. The area that we used find it is now a park and we can't gather it. That was one of my favorite things to do at Christmas with my sister.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous. My jaw dropped when I saw a few of those photos.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, thank you for the info on Trailing Pine. I've been meaning to look it up so you've given me a clue. I noticed that it spreads by runners. It's in quite a few places on our woodland floor.
ReplyDeleteNow those pics were awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'VE PLANTED OUT A RUND DOWN DAIRY FARM ON NORTH COAST INTO BOTANICAL JUNGLE.
ReplyDelete32 YEARS LATER AND ONLY IN LAST COUPLE WEEKS A PATCH OF BLUE LICHEN ON iNGA SPECTABALIS TRUNK.
ITS WARM WET SUBTROPICAL RAINFOREST WHERE IT IS.
NEVER KNEW SUCH A BLUE LICHEN EXISTED. I GOOGLED AND GOT YOU.
Anon, this was my first experience with blue lichen too. Interesting you are in a different part of the country with a different sort of climate. I wonder if we've both got the same thing???
ReplyDeleteI found a similar looking growth while filling my log shed in Snowdonia, north Wales. Is it definitely a lichen as opposed to some other organism? Here's the photo http://campbellscottage.blogspot.com/2012/01/blue-lichen.html
ReplyDeleteI called it blue lichen because it looks like exactly like the green lichen I have growing around the place. I admit I haven't been able to identify it positively. I have found more since this post, just as bright blue as the first.
ReplyDeleteCracked it ... not a lichen but a fungus called terana caerulea or cobalt crust fungus. For more info see http://campbellscottage.blogspot.com/2012/01/blue-lichen.html
ReplyDelete