The Urban Epiphyte by Chipka
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Though I recognize (and appreciate) the beauty of flowers and other pretty things, I find myself drawn to the things not commonly associated with “beauty” as it’s commonly accepted in the western world. I like insects and crustaceans, fungi, lichens, and various forms of algae. I actually like bacteria, though I take exception to the colonial habits of bacteria (and fungi) that view non-dead humans as a potential nutritional resource. It comes as no surprise that I find myself at peace within cities alive with lichens, woodlice, slugs, and other small and not entirely “cute” things. It comes as no surprise, either, that I’d react to a bouquet of live lichens in the same way that others might react to a bouquet of soon-to-be-dead flowers. I won’t go into a rhapsodic description of lichens and slugs, but suffice it to say, there are few things more beautiful in life than gastropods and symbiotic fungus/algae life forms. (Okay, a particular human, preferably unclothed, but that’s a ramble for another post, though I’d probably have to resort to Russian in order to convey…oh, never mind!)
I thought of this last week, while hunting for epiphytes. Though I was at work, it was warm enough to inspire a brief wander around the neighborhood. I wasn’t interested in Moody Bible Institute (it would seem that lichens and woodlice aren’t interested in the place either: and yeah, I looked.) It’s too manicured. It’s too sculpted. It’s too much of one thing. As a result of that, I simply wandered along a side street, careful to avoid mud patches and treacherous bits of dog things that had escaped fastidious collection for whatever reasons. In wandering, I discovered a tree coated in lichens. I immediately dropped into photographic macro mode. This is my favorite image of that day.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great week.
Comments (17)
I love them too as you know! I do like the inner cup colour of this lot.
Amazing capture my friend. God Bless.
They can be fascinating, if only because they present a plethora of available eyes for my wandering mind!
Very cool capture and narrative Well done
Nice!
WOW HAHAHA! It looks like a alien tentackle :) I would have been thrilled, had I found these myself. So I am glad you atleast found them, so I could admire these little beauties. Thanks for sharing them :)
wonderful macro
cool photo, nice plants and colors!
that is one of the most unusual looking photos i have seen...beyond excellent..what an eye!!! chills and thrills
superb work!
Wow, I've never seen one in that particular colour scheme, how beautiful! Alien octopi? Wonderful capture!
Super colors! This is quite nice. I love the white rings around the cups. Way cool!
A really fascinating macro, Chip! This is delightfully alien looking - what a great find!
Beauty is all around us we just need to take the time and enjoy it. :))))) I am glad you took the time to enjoy the beauty. :))))) Most excellent macro my friend. :)))))) Thank you for sharing all of the beauty you see. :)))))) Carry A Warm Smile In Your Heart :))))))
there is so much beauty to find if we are looking right - you did a great found and its almost like something from under sea... macros like yours have this aura of art work...
And speaking of Doctor Who. I can well imagine the one inch scale model of the TARDIS materializing in front of this piece of (I suppose it isn't really) alien fauna. Tom Baker's Doctor steps out (he'd really be on a green CSO stage) and after a brief examination of his surrounds would remark, "I think this is not Hyde Park". So sorry, it was in my head and I could not resist that. We share this planet with so many strange and radically different forms of life. At first glace there is a huge temptation to call them alien. Maybe because their colour palettes are narrower than our eyes might regard as natural. All the more wonderful it is because we can find these things in such hostile places like cities. Congratulation on finding this little thing.
Beautiful lichen cups and as mentioned above - a fantastic burgundy color!