Thanks for your great comments on Cow Bells. And now for something completely different. I think I saw this thing's cousin growing on some old bread in my refridgerator. Olympus C5050 & PhotoshopCS ------- LICHENS Lichens (with mosses) have the largest latitudinal and altitudinal distribution of all plants. They occur in most habitats, especially in those unsuitable for the growth of higher plants. In arid habitats they have a ball-like, 'vagant' growth-form that enables them to blow about and disperse in the wind. They have been found on the carapaces of tortoises in the Galapagos and beetles in New Guinea -- even on a scarecrow's raincoat! Lichens are amongst the most indispensible of all bio- indicators. Growing in sites of often limited nutrient availability, they take up mineral ions with great efficiency. Their sensitivity to sulphur dioxide indicates both local levels of pollution and acid rain. Their tolerance and accumulation of metals, including radioactive isotopes, similarly provides evidence of a range of industrial pollutants. Lichens have had many uses in traditional dyes (including litmus), herbal medicine and as human or animal food. They are eaten by many invertebrates and, in arctic regions, they are the main winter food (3-5 kg per day) of caribou or reindeer. For more interesting info about Lichens, visit the Cobb County Lichen Factsheet.