Great Falls of the Potomac - Part 2

Day before yesterday I posted about our visit to the Maryland side of Great Falls with a focus primarily on the water. Today my focus shifts to plants.

There are rocks on both sides of the boardwalk out to the viewing area for the falls. These rocks may have been scoured by the river at some point but it has been quite some time. Lichens are quite thick in many places and tiny leaves have found enough decayed rock and dust in some cracks to support their roots.

Mosses carpet some areas - usually a lower place in the rocks that holds water.

Taking a broader view of a side channel of the river that is still enough to reflect the rocks and small trees - the size of the trees tells the tale of how long it has been since the last big flood along this stretch of the river.

The water of the C&O Canal bed is placid and it is late enough in the season that some of the grasses are heavy with seeds. Do you see the moth resting on the top of this one?

Jewel weed is still blooming. It is interesting that the plant was used to sooth poison ivy but often grows in the midst of the itch producing bane of summer for many.

Lichen and Moss

Lichen and moss are plants that are easier to appreciate with some magnification. My first project simply captured them in the ‘wild’ - on trees or rocks or soil. The collage below shows lichen growing on tree trunks. The images on the left are using the 8x loupe. The one on the right was using the 22x loupe.

The mosses were awakening during March and April when I began the project and I was surprised at the variety that becomes apparent when the plants are viewed through even a the lower (8x) magnification.