Of the many natural delights to be found in urban areas, lichens present a reliable and readily available source of enquiry during even the most ordinary of strolls. However given the twenty thousand various species into which they have been divided, how can the amateur naturalist even begin to approach identification without toting along massive tomes and keys on even the shortest, most casual foray outdoors?
For those living in or visiting the urban areas of the northeastern North America, the team of Jessica Allen, James Lendemer, and Jordan Hoffman has recently created Urban Lichens, a new guidebook specifically written and formatted to introduce urban naturalists to the sixty most common and readily identifiable lichen species to be found in such northeastern cities as New York City, Toronto, Boston/New Haven, Philadelphia, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., and even as far west as Chicago.
Divided into three very logical principal sections, employing common everyday objects such as coins and metro cards for handy size comparisons, and including such useful tools as a key to all included species, a visual glossary, and a complete list of the lichens of New York City, this book is a very effective way indeed to become familiar with these remarkable and easy-to-observe symbiotic associations of life.
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