Ashlea Viola

a mixed forest stand in autumn showing a conifer snag, a nursery log, big trees, small trees, and a serpentine shaped tree

looking up at the old bark of a hemlock trunk, adorned with coral lichen

a close up view of Collema nigrescens, a leafy jelly lichen growing on the bark of a red maple

spot the signs of an old forest

Shadows of ash leaves on the inside of a tent at sun up.

summer still, before the gentle disarray of fall

Side by side pictures: on the left is goldencrest (Lophiola aurea) with golden yellow flowers atop a fuzzy white stalk, growing in a wetland; at right is edelweiss aka stella alpina (Leontopodium nivale) with its woolly white bracts, blooming at high altitudes.

Upon seeing goldencrest for the very first time: "it's like edelweiss!" Ain't it? #atlanticcoastalplainflora #alpineflora #tomentose

Several tiny white pinheads of Sclerophora peronella (aka frosted glass-whiskers) lichen in the heartwood of a red maple.

Many tiny white/pinkish pinheads of Sclerophora peronella (aka frosted glass-whiskers) lichen in the heartwood of a red maple.

More tiny white pinheads of Sclerophora peronella (aka frosted glass-whiskers) lichen in the heartwood of a red maple.

Frosted glass cheers! #calicioids #microlichens

A close-up of bright blue-green Normandina pulchella lichen (aka elf ears) on Pannaria rubiginosa (aka Big brown-eyed shingle lichen).

lichenicolous lichen! Just some elf ears with ear wax hanging out on some big brown-eyed shingle.

Partridge berry (aka Mitchella repens), a creeping woody plant -- this one showing pink, unopened buds, white flowers, AND red fruit.

buds, blooms, and fruit, oh my!

a close up of Shaggy-fringe lichen (aka Anaptychia palmulata), noting the difference in apothecia from the young thalli on the left and the older thalli on the right.

young Anaptychia, old Anaptychia

purple veined white flower of Ram's-Head Lady's-Slipper (Crypripedium arietinum) atop a slender stem beside empty seed pod

two Yellow Lady's Slippers (Cypripedium parviflorum) in bloom

rich pink flowers of two Pink Lady's slippers (Cypripedium acaule)

slipper stop!

Tips For Preventing And Treating Tick Bites Coat yourself in DEET so the ticks get cancer, too.

Tips For Preventing And Treating Tick Bites
theonion.com/tips-fo...

pink protusions of gall mite on green serrated cherry leaf

gall (swelling growth) on low growing blueberry plant

green witch hazel leaf with lighter coloured green cone-shaped insect gall

for the gall of it! #gallformers #insects

Dozens of tiny stubble lichen on old tree roots. Pointer finger in background for scale is three times as wide as the root.

roots and moss hang from an old tipped up tree

'tis tip-up time! I looked so hard for these stubbles for a year or two...and now I'm finding them everywhere. #calicioids #microlichens

A deep pink mayflower blossom peaks out from under its green leaf and moss. The fuzzy stem is also visible.

A light pink and white mayflower blossom sits atop its green leaves.

White mayflower blossoms encircled by its fuzzy tipped green leaves.

3 shades of mayflower (Trailing arbutus/ Epigaea repens). #signsofspring #ephemeral

Several raindrops on the closed white flower of bloodroot aka malteweknejkl aka Sanguinaria canadensis. The pink stem is poking out of brown leaf litter and surrounded by a round, veined, deeply lobed light green leaf.

Part of a mural entitled Asoqmapskiajk (Kentville, Acadie) showing white flowering bloodroot with deeply lobed light green leaves and bright red roots that appear to be floating in the water or sky. Mural collaboration by Cameryn Mattie, Sarah Mosher, Monique Silver, Don (Byrd) Awalt and people from the surrounding community.

malteweknejkl in the woods and town #signsofspring #ephemeral

Found this twice! on the weekend. All the tip ups I've looked at and finally...

holding up a cross-section of balsam fir trunk showing 30-some tree rings

a small balsam tree trunk lying on chair boards

script lichen adorns a small balsam fir trunk held up by a hand

3 sides of the same trunk: Balsam Fir at 30-some years #dendrochronology #scriptlichen #pareidolia

Dark purple foliage of Hallow's eve hot peppers with other pepper seedlings in background.

#signsofspring #pepperplantation

The only way is up: a celebration of Bolivia’s Indigenous female climbers – in pictures Photographer Todd Antony captures the strength and pride of ‘Cholitas Escaladoras’

The only way is up: a celebration of Bolivia’s Indigenous female climbers – in pictures

The word cholita has in the past been used as a pejorative term for the Indigenous Aymara women of Bolivia. But the women in these photographs are reclaiming the word: ... www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

Hypotrachyna osseoalba showing its reaction to UV.
Craven County, North Carolina
March/12/2025

Close up picture of a Blue Felt Lichen showing red disk-like fruiting bodies on a lead-gray upper surface with a blue fungal mat peeking out from underneath the lobes.

Our provincial lichen really is beautiful.

Hi Ben: The manuscript we are preparing is getting closer to completion and will include, among other things, a description of the Chaenothecopsis you collected in Maine

The species I discovered is almost published :)
No firm timeline, but Mr. Selva is done with the sample and ready to send it back to the herbarium so it can't be much longer before I have a to link for y'all.

Kew Gardens to open new garden this summer inspired by climate crisis Carbon Garden will show how carbon helps to sustain life on Earth

Kew Carbon Garden www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

Age and migration influence bird groups’ song repertoires, study finds Researchers used 20,000 hours of recordings of great tits in Oxford to see how culture changes among populations

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Leptogium corticola smiling.

Ghostly and fishy L. corticola faces.

Curious L. corticola.

Methinks this is Miyazaki inspired L. corticola.

It's hard not to find faces in the forest.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, I really hope this reaches you today.

Nominate your invertebrate species of the year We’re asking readers from around the world to nominate their favourite spineless species for our second Invertebrate of the Year competition

www.theguardian.com/environment/...