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| The road has that misty watercolor look again. |
Monday morning the temperatures had begun to moderate significantly. When the dog and I left to go to the west end of the dirt road we found that the temperature was in the mid 60's and the humidity though high was still very comfortable. As we walked along I noticed that many of the plants I have been watching at the roadside have been killed by the freeze we had a few days ago. The Oaks, Pines and other evergreens along the road seem to be thriving after the cold weather. Something interesting turned up on the road as it usually does in the form of a fallen branch. The branch itself was not all that unusual but what was on it was. On the exterior bark there was a strange looking moss growing. I have researched this moss before at
eattheweeds.com.
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Usnea Ramalina moss is
pretty and useful. |
It is
Usnea Ramalina moss which grows on trees all over the world. It is used in many cultures as food, medicine and as an absorption medium. Green Dean at eattheweeds.com says you are very fortunate if you have this moss growing in your area because of it's many uses. All of the older pecan trees have it on them and it grows on many of the water oaks that are in this area. I think the plant like structure is very nice looking. We walked on to the end of the road where the dog did his part to help clean up the trash someone has thrown out there. He found a long plastic tube which he quickly spirited back down the road where he ran into the bushes to await me. I think the tube is some kind of stacking toy for kids. My dog just thought is was fun to play with.
I have corrected my original post to show the correct identification of the moss I saw. It should have been Ramalina instead of Usnea. Sorry about that.
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| The dog waits for the "thrower of things" to arrive. |
When I arrived at the spot where he was sitting in the bushes I found him staring at me in his almost scary way. Sometimes he hides in the bushes and watches me go by like he is some kind of predator. I think it is just an instinctive thing with him and he doesn't mean any harm. He really wanted me to throw what ever he had brought with him out in the grass so he could retrieve it. So that is what I did. He picked it up and headed back toward the house only pausing to wait for me at the end of the road. There is no accounting for why the dog picks certain things to take home with him and I guess I will never understand it. Anyway now I have a blue plastic tube in my front yard or what I like to call "my dog's toy box". The whole affair just baffles me but, it is fun to watch and see what he picks up next. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Bye.
