HIRSUTA

Lichens are a living mystery. The more we explore them, the more unsettling they become. Half algae, half fungi, they first appeared 450 million years ago and make us question where one organism ends and another begins. They cover rocks, fences and roofs, deserts and ravines. Some are bottle green and others are electric yellow. There are ones that look like spots or bat wings or stealthy bushes camouflaged in woodland. They live freely, without ties. And sometimes behave incomprehensibly, like this specimen curled up on our new ring. Hey, you? Yes, you. What are you doing here?