Jane & Erich

FURTHER ADVENTURES

 

So who's Erich? And why? Jeez, I don't know. He's this little bear that someone gave me years ago, and he just loves getting out and exploring. If I leave him at home, I hear these weird, low, subsonic mutterings and bearswears, so it's just easier to pop him in my rucksack and let him out every now and then if I see something interesting. He's full of chirps today and keeps butting in, so I'll let him speak for himself:

"Okay, enough with the intros. Wow, this is cool! What the heck is it? It's apparently called lichen - a fungus partnered with a plant-thingy called a photobiont, so it's not just a plant, and not quite a mushroom, it's a sort of combination of the two. The fungus holds onto the rock, and the photobiont makes food for both of them. Wow. You can eat some kinds of lichen, and reindeer really like it, but some kinds are poisonous, so don't go nibbling any rocks with this stuff on. And some of them can be boiled up to make purple dye - cool! And some are a kind of primitive antibiotic. Oh boy, I think I'm gonna read up more about this. 

Yikes, here I go, back in the blimmin' rucksack....."