“One could speculate that lichens would be among the last inhabitants to succumb on a dying earth at some distant point in the future.”
(Steven L. Stephenson, The Kingdom Fungi: The Biology of Mushrooms, Molds, and Lichens) This is another shot taken on my hike the other day. I have been fascinated by lichen since I studied it as an undergraduate with a minor in biology.
Have you read Entangled Life? It’s all about fungi and how they shape the world.