Field guide to CA Lichens, and call for online/print resources

Unpaid review, and full disclosure, I do not yet have a copy to evaluate myself, but a couple of lichen enthusiasts have made me aware of it and it's on my list.

I may update with a review if and when I order a copy, but for those thinking of acquiring a guide, a couple unprompted reviews from this observation (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/69863592#activity_comment_82362328-3c7c-4e81-9ef9-8596063b282c)

"A Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, 2014, p. 157. @yerbasanta, if you're still thinking about the book, I can say: Excellent photos, comprehensive index, decent glossary, clear and well written. I highly recommend it! I believe I also saw Cladonia asahinai in Toro Park 2 days ago..."

"I've only ID'd a few lichen using it but so far so good... I am beginning to sense that identifying lichens is a lot like identifying marine algae. It's so much more satisfying to gather material and bring it into the lab where using a dissecting scope and books and doing spot tests with reagents is so much easier. When I take photos of something I haven't keyed out before, I often find later that I photographed the wrong features."

Good reads has one review (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18723472-a-field-guide-to-california-lichens?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=10y0pFLPwX&rank=1), which isn't exactly glowing, but does mention that it's one of the only readily available guides to CA lichens:

"This field guide by Sharnoff is the only readily available book on lichens in California. It's a lovely one with full color photos throughout. It is also decidedly not beginner friendly. The vocabulary becomes daunting almost immediately. There are no dichotomous keys..."

Links to the book and some photos from the author below, let me know if you've found good online or print resources/keys for identifying lichens in the comments if you can.

Link to purchase: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300195002/field-guide-california-lichens

Photos of lichen genera from the author: http://www.sharnoffphotos.com/lichens/lichens_home_index.html

Posted on January 17, 2022 03:46 AM by yerbasanta