Lichens, which are made up of a fungus and an algae, are found all over the world, from the coldest habitats to the warmest. Many of the are also very attractive, like this British soldiers lichen (Cladonia cristatella) that I found laying on my front porch last seek. Cup lichens are members of the Cladoniaceae family and are also sometimes called pixie cups. This particular cup lichen is called British soldiers because when it is actively producing spores, the cups will get a bright red cap on them. That cap reminded early biologists of the red hats worn by British soldiers. As you can see, this particular specimen is not currently producing spores and the cups are empty. In fact, this specimen was in mainly dormant, with only the grey-green sections being at all active. Like most lichen, British soldiers is slow growing and can go dormant when growing conditions are not great (in this case, not enough rain).

Even though the orange part of the lichen is dormant and even possibly dying, I find the contrast between the orange and the green parts very attractive. That was what initially made me notice it while I was walking across my deck. I also enjoy any subject with so much texture and shape to it. It’s fairly small, but the folds, flat areas, cups, and fibers also made it fun to photograph.