I imagine here the wetted orange lichen that grows flat on rocky surfaces, like tiny star-bursts of gold.

‘The lichen glows like cracked lacquer on the cliffs.’

See also a quote-rich mosaic review of this magnificent, entrancing book: a love letter to islands and a paean to the sea. 

Source: Adam Nicolson, Sea Room: An Island Life (London: Harper Collins, 2013 (2002)), p. 131

Photo credit: Steffen Kastner at unsplash.com