Lichens of the North Woods

Lichens are the unsung superheros of the Northern wilds; they are tiny organisms that have the capability to dissolve solid granite, Lichens are surprisingly colorful; blazing oranges, radiant yellows, pastel greens, rich blacks and bright whites adorn tree trunks, bedrock and even gravestones. One hundred twenty species are shown in beautiful color photos. Loaded with natural history text.

Lichens have the capability to dissolve granite. They are very colorful; oranges, yellows, greens, blacks and whites adorn trees, bedrock and even gravestones. This field guide spotlights 120 species, shown in color photos with natural history text.

Joe Walewski is the Director of Naturalist Training at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, Minnesota. He earned a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology from Iowa State University and a M.Ed. in Environmental Education from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Every spring and fall, Joe leads Wolf Ridge graduate students on field botany excursions - "Green Guys Hikes" - with the intention of identifying all the green "guys" and "gals" in the woods. It was on one of these hikes in the early 1990s that Joe first included his beloved lichens. When away from work, Joe finds plenty to do helping his wife, Lori, in the garden and banding birds (especially hummingbirds). He enjoys rambling and exploring outdoors with his daughter Jenny. Joe continually strives to reduce his ecological footprint. In an effort to reduce his contribution of global warming gasses, Joe commutes to work by foot, bike or ski at least fifty percent of the time.