Colorful Tree Bark

I was out at Pohick Bay today. There was some fog this morning so I thought I would head out to the water and see if anything dramatic developed. There wasn't much dramatic happening as far as fog, water and mood were concerned. But, I had the great pleasure in watching several Ospreys hunt for breakfast. They were really noisy this morning. Chattering and screaming at each other. It's really hard to describe. Hopefully, you have had the privilege or will at some point put yourself in a position to witness such a thing. I have a 300mm f/2.8 lens but it really isn't adequate to catch birds in flight unless they are right in front, or over top, of me. So, rather than shooting away, I just used the lens as a makeshift spotting scope and casually observed.

Not wanting to go home without capturing something, I came across some trees that had this colorful "stuff" growing on them. It's lichen actually. Most likely, F. caperata, but I'm no lichen expert. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, I shot away. The images here have been treated with the Orton effect. As well, the two smaller "bookend" images, are digital multiple exposures. I enhanced the colors using Nik Software's Color Efex Pro (Brilliance/Warmth filter).

I am rather pleased with the final results.