I have been on several great hikes over the last few days, and took a lot of good pictures. The picture below is of a Pileated Woodpecker I saw yesterday. I liked this image of her silhouette next to the tree.
This picture is of the same bird. The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in the region, and one of the largest in North America with a length of approximately 16 1/2 inches.
Today I went up the High Cliffs Trail, and encountered some interesting challenges. I managed to get the group around the ice, and we were able to reach the main overlook. The image on the left is of our biggest ice challenge, and the one on the right is of the main overlook.
I like to take a closer look at the smaller things in the forest when I am enjoying the outdoors. The image on the right is of an interesting bit of ice with pine needles, moss, and lichen within.
The image on the left is of a diabase boulder covered with lichens and moss. Lichens in this photograph are gray or brown, while the moss is green.
Lichens are a combination of fungus and algae or cyanobacteria living in a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with each other. The fungus provides the home and mineral nutrients outside of the water, while the algae or cyanobacteria provide sugars or carbohydrates for food. It is one of the great relationships in nature.
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