June 7, 2002

1:13 PM

Gold cobblestones. Cracked ice. Cave art. Just a few of the amazing shapes, textures and patterns in the Lichen Portrait Gallery. Check the descriptions of the "fungi that have discovered agriculture" for info about how Native Americans used them for food, poison and pillows. And don't forget the surprising feminist connection.
posted by mediareport (6 comments total)

Yum:
Jackson Pollock splatters
Pink earth
Lao Tzu's beard
Powdered moon
Elegant sunburst
Sulphur stubble

And, finally:
Microbes and Peter Rabbit (Unitarian Universalist minister meditates on Beatrix Potter, lichenologist)

Much more fun than Flash games. :)
posted by mediareport at 1:30 PM on June 7, 2002

Alectoria
Dactylina arctica
Menegazzia

Numerous lichen,
Many syllables ripe for
Metafi Haiku
posted by pheideaux at 1:58 PM on June 7, 2002

oh, man. i didn't realize what the writer of peter rabbit had done. (i used to love those books as a kid.) this is really cool; thanks, mediareport.
posted by moz at 1:59 PM on June 7, 2002

This is indeed a very cool link...much time will be spent here. :) Thanks!
posted by dejah420 at 6:13 PM on June 7, 2002

Mmmmm, bacon bits!

Cool plant fungus thingies!
posted by groundhog at 3:23 AM on June 8, 2002

I saw the book -- an 800-page monster stuffed with pictures -- at a botanist buddy's house last week. It was fantastic, and seemed worth the relatively expensive price.
posted by mediareport at 6:59 AM on June 8, 2002