I've taken a lichen to this stump

 Near the foot of my driveway there's an old Douglas-fir stump that supports a nice variety of mosses and lichens.  I especially like the fruticose lichens, the tall, blue-grey ones prominent near the top of the photo.  They're growing out of a bed of moss.

 Near the base of the stump, there's snow on the north side, but none on the south side that received what little sunlight makes it to the ground in this area.  There's a significant difference in micro-climate on either side of the stump.  Also, certain plants tends to spring up right along the melt line in spring. Some of those get beaten down by later snow storms only to try again during the next melting period.  The activities on and around the stump are a reliable source of entertainment for me when I'm on foot.  More about my footwear in my next post.

Hovering over the aforementioned stump is a large California Black Oak where I photographed Oak Treehoppers frequently from late August through early December.  They're long gone, but a good variety of mosses and lichens persists through the winter.  Click on the photo for a closer view of the white lichens in the center.  The photo may or may not capture the feeling, but when I walked by this tree in the shade the white lichen seemed to glow as if it had an internal light source.  I'm sure it wasn't really bioluminescent, but it gave me that feeling in contrast with the deep shade behind the tree.