This small volume is a delightfully entertaining and beautifully illustrated A–Z treasury about the strange, obscure, and remarkable world of lichens.
Kay Hurley is an avid naturalist who specializes in fungi and has studied lichens for twenty years. In one hundred brief entries written in a vivid, lively style, she introduces 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 shapes with imaginative names like witch’s hair. She explains the surprising ways that birds and animals, from reindeer and moose down to tiny tardigrades, use lichens, and how lichens survive in extreme environments, from deserts to Antarctica to outer space. She explores the ways lichens are used in dyeing and brewing and how they have inspired writers and artists. Hurley also introduces some of the innovators who have advanced the knowledge of lichens, from the ancient Greeks to today’s professional lichenologists.
Mini hardcover with foil-embossed design.