This is a companion image and written entry to a previous BPotD on lichen diversity, though it was photographed three months earlier and 900 km (~550mi) away from the other image. I was pleased to discover lichen-covered rocks in Grasslands National Park, as it was an unexpected photographic dimension in exploring the area; I'd anticipated the skyscapes, the endangered species and the wildflowers, but not the lichen patterns.

In comparison to the crustose lichen-covered rock in the other entry on lichen diversity, I would expect the process of succession to occur over a much larger time scale. Dessication, temperature extremes, wind abrasion and fewer moss and vascular plant colonizers create conditions where the reign of the lichens is unlikely to be toppled for centuries, if not millenia.

On a different topic, I had the opportunity to walk around the garden for a small time yesterday, and noted that spring is tentatively making an appearance. I imagine 2007 photographs will soon start to become common on BPotD.