Graveyard

Jack'll do

In my meandering along country dirt roads in western Massachusetts, I often come across 18th and 19th century graveyards. Many are old family burial grounds, and the inscriptions are sometimes quite unusual. I found this one on a dirt road that travelled miles through the forest. As isolated as it is, it's fairly well maintained. Not sure what township it's in or even if I could find it again. (Gotta get a GPS). I found it iteresting to see this sandstone monument alone among the granite. I'm not too keen on gratuitous selective colorization but the finial detail on the stone got lost among the foliage in the all B&W version. (Not to mention the fact that it would not be apparent that it was sandstone in B&W).



Curiously it appears that Lichen love the sandstone but don't grow on the granite, perhaps it's due to the particular mineral content of sandstone.

Rustydiva

very interesting...great pics!

areed145

from http://www.lonsmemorials.com/questions_pop.htm

[SIZE=+1]Why do some memorials have lichen growing on them?[/SIZE]

Most memorial-grade granite is very resistant to growth of lichen or moss. Usually it is to be found in small patches on some older grey granite types and more commonly on marble-based monuments. Also, this sort of growth appears to be related to the effects of local weather, and the vegetation and climate (the micro-environment) of the cemetery. We have noticed over the years that lichen seems to "come and go" and although some slight, temporary discolouration sometimes occurs, one should not be overly concerned. Darker, small-grained granites and polished surfaces do tend to be somewhat more resistant, but should not be considered a significant factor in deciding what to purchase as all memorial granites are very durable. Lichens can be scraped and scrubbed off, and LONS has special pressure washing equipment for the rare, more challenging cases, but usually lichens will eventually disappear of their own accord.

Great pictures!

Jack'll do

Thanks to both for the nice comments and the info on Lichen growth.