Lichenpedia: A Brief Compendium

(Hardback)

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A pocket-sized, illustrated AZ treasury about the weird and wonderful world of lichens

Lichens are all around us, hiding in plain viewon trees, rocks, the ground, and even the pavement. They break down rocks, help form soil, provide shelter and food for birds and other animals, trap carbon, and produce many unique chemicals. And humans, too, use lichensfor dyeing, brewing, making drugs, and much more. Featuring close to a hundred bite-sized entries, Lichenpedia is a delightfully entertaining and beautifully illustrated introduction to these weird, obscure, but essential organismsfrom how they have spread throughout the planet to the ways they have inspired writers and artists, from Henry David Thoreau to modern painters.

Writing in a vivid, lively style, Kay Hurley presents key aspects of lichen biology, environmental roles, emerging uses, scientific history, and myth. She describes the variety of forms that lichens take, from leafy to filamentous to things reminiscent of skin diseases, with imaginative names like witchs hair. She explains the surprising ways that birds and beastsfrom reindeer and moose down to tiny tardigradesuse lichens, and how lichens survive in extreme environments, from deserts to Antarctica to outer space. Hurley also introduces some of the innovators who have advanced the knowledge of lichens, from the ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus to todays professional lichenologists.

Filled with compelling facts, explanations, and stories, Lichenpedia promises to put you in touch with the natural world in a new way by opening your eyes to these overlooked but vital organisms.

• Features a cloth cover with an elaborate foil-stamped design

Author Bio

Kay Hurley is an avid naturalist who specializes in fungi and has studied lichens for twenty years. She is the author of Whos Who in the Natural World: Selections from a 10-year Ramble through a Corner of New England. Susan Adele Edwards is an artist and filmmaker. Her award-winning documentary, Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000, has been shown in schools, universities, and conservation education organizations to inspire civic engagement.