Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Ghostly Figures

The Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara, California is home to numerous species of lichens. A different perspective of lichens on a tree appears as ghostly figures from a different dimension. The Cascading fruiting bodies could almost be mistaken for a close encounter with octopus suckers or a stranger from another world.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2024
Photo Location: California, United States of America
Camera: NIKON Z 7
Copyright: © Neal Smith