On a rock in the pumpkin patch, above.
The garden bed endcaps have a garden of their own growing. It didn't help that the massive catnip plant kept it covered all summer. Here is a clean shot from the first year in place.
In the pasture near the hill. And if that isn't enough, I'll be visiting North Bend again. Always a mossy treat! See the link below for other Lichen et al Adventures! 
This is what is growing in the garden today! Any idea what variety they might be? 
Above, is a view of the underside.
They are growing on the north side of a bed. The land slopes down a little here so the bed and pathway act as a little terrace in the middle of the garden. The north side of the bed can be very shaded, especially during the winter. I've noticed mushrooms along this area before. I don't see them in other parts of the garden.
Our traditional New Year's Day geocaching excursion took us to the end of the runways this year. The landings weren't bad, but one departing flight looked like it might trim some trees!
And also to a neighborhood botanical garden... with a frozen garden pond. Brrr!
...and with interesting growth on the log arbor. Above, the bottom of one log.
Above, the side of the log. It was quite overcast and I didn't have much luck capturing the growth all along both sides (didn't help that it was well above my head). Maybe I'll be back that way for another try.
As it my fingers get cold (& gloves lost) when I take off gloves to use the camera. I thought I'd try my favorite gardening gloves. They worked, but they didn't help for warmth! They were surprisingly cold. Finally, the best of both worlds. Fleece gloves over garden gloves for warm. Garden gloves only for photo attempts. 
It is that time of year when we move from blossoms, although some are still going, to fungi and lichen. Found this beauty during our Geocaching outing, yesterday. Its color (a little more orange than the camera captured) really stood out amongst the greens and grays.
I believe it's a form of jelly fungi, perhaps dacrymyces palmatus. Might be aka Fairy Butter, but I'm having trouble finding a consistent common name. 
I spotted this nice, young, possible Chocolate Lenzites growing on a whiskey barrel by the patio. Then forgot to photograph it until tonight. So here it is in camera flash light. It doesn't look quite the same as the text book example of a Chocolate Lenzites I found in Nov., also near my patio, here. I just don't find anything else it looks like in my 2nd hand Reader's Digest North American Wildlife book. The November fungus is still around too, but it has lost its pretty light band around the edges. If it isn't C.L., do you know what it is? I'll look at it more carefully in the daylight next weekend. 
Here is a recent visit to the pyxie cup lichen growing on the fence. I loved seeing them full of water, but could not really get a focused shot. The most vertical one in the middle is about as good as I could get. I just love having found this little garden. Here is link for the post from Feb. 2007, my first discovery of them.
Growing on the same cross brace on the fence, I also found the seedlings above. I think they look like foxglove. What do you think? It seems all of the foxglove around the place are on the same biannual schedule. That means this will be the year for blooms.
To be a contented gardener in the Pacific Northwest, it helps if one has a certain fascination with stuff that can even grow on rocks. This rock sits in my garden and I just noticed the healthy garden growing on it.
Hey, those phone boxes pop up everywhere! This travel bug has traveled 9,707 miles and stopped in 34 caches. And now it has had its photo taken with a grand collection of pyxie cup lichen. This was on the top of a pole above my head. I had to just hold the camera up and shoot. More about geocaching here. Or click on the "geocaching tours" label for other outings.
Above... In the northwest, anything is a potential host for lichen and blackberries.
While I hate to see this non indigenous resident in the woods, I suspect it has been there a while. We didn't notice this VW during our walk in the summer, probably because of the blackberries. It does instantly attract geocachers. (but ask DH who actually found the hidden box!) Reminds me of our Carhenge and Car Art Reserve vacation find. I do have more Car Art photos to post, some day.
Just outside my back door is this beauty. Chocolate Lenzites, I think. It is growing in a split in the landscape timber holding the walkway stones in place. At other times, I've noticed some sort of growth here, but haven't noticed it looking so interesting before. It must be its favorite time of the year (wet, but not too cold).
Or Gardening in Small Spaces III. Came across this on an old fence post while we were planting the trees this weekend. I thought they were young pyxie cups in bloom, but they might actually be "British Soldiers" (Cladonia cristatella). 
With maybe some Cracked Shield Lichen and who knows what else mixed in. Click on the photos to get a larger view, but neither are especially sharp. 
For some gardens, the gardener just needs to keep the hands in the pockets and pay attention.
The lichen garden in October. I think it has pyxie cups and maybe cracked shield lichens in it. The garden is on a fence post along the path to the hillside retreat.
