Don't forget your glasses.

 Somehow this morning I forgot my glasses and wasn't wearing contact lenses.  I don't recommend it but it did make me really look at what was under my feet (and made me ignore all deer and birds!)  I stopped to look at the reindeer moss which is not moss but a lichen. Lichens are actually a composite of fungi and algae. The fungus provides structure, and protection while the green algae produce sugars by photosynthesis. This relationship is a form of symbiosis which is thought to be mutually beneficial. Yet another thing in nature which is amazing.

It was, of course, rather difficult to focus to get a photo without my glasses. The reindeer moss is the branched lichen and I think the red eye-catching matchstick is actually the fruiting body of a different lichen as the reindeer moss produces inconspicuous brown fruiting bodies but usually reproduce vegetatively. I need to remember my glasses and go and have a proper look!