Dobson (& other resouces)

[AlanS]

Frank Dobson's "Lichens. An illustrated guide to the British and Irish Speces" is by far the best field guide to British lichens (and not simply because it is almost the only modern field guide to British lichens). Numerous copies were being carried around on the British Lichen Society's very successful meeting on Isay and Jura last week. In my view, it is the best field guide of its type published anywhere in the world. It is, of course, the book used by many on this forum.

But horror of horrors, it is out of print!

But fear not folks, word is that the 6th edition, with some 50 extra species and a lot of new photographs, is on its way. Late summer is suggested, though I suspect that is optimistic.

We do, of course, have the new "The lichens of Great Britain and Ireland", all 1046 pages of it, a few line drawings and not a colour photograph to be seen (other than the very nice one on the front cover). It is the current definitive work (though already slightly out of date!) and essential for reliable identification ad recording. The first printing sold out but I understand it has been reprinted and is available again.

A continental book I am currently much taken with is a Spanish publication: "Guia de Campo de los Liquenes, Musgos y Hepaticas" by Wirth, Dull, Llimona, Ros & Werner (Ediciones Omega, 2004). 590 pages, with just under half taken up by mosses and liverworts, and expensive (at least from NHBS), and text in Spanish, but the photographs are superb!

And of course the three principal (in my view) websites for British and Irish species are still going strong:

British Lichens - the most comprehensive site in terms of numbers of species, but no descriptions. Excellent for reference once you have a possible name, and has pictorial keys and other stuff.

Irish Lichens - Index - Jenny's site, beautifully designed, beautifully photographed and now with a very large number of species. How does she have the time???

Alan Silverside's lichen pages - photographs of British lichens - yeah, mine, actually the oldest of the three sites but now lagging behind and with a huge and growing backlog of species to post, but I plod along ...

Look out for a new site from Paul Cannon at Kew, that is not on-line yet but in design. It will have excellent close-up photographs of many critical species. Looks good on his computer!

And as this has grown from a simple note about the next 'Dobson' into a resource post, a reminder of the British Lichen Society:
The British Lichen Society.

Alan

[diggleken]

Thanks for highlighting those Alan - I use all three sites, somewhat inexpertly, but they are all brilliant.
Gives me time to save up for Dobson anyway!
Keep up the good work.
Cheers
Ken

[Walloon]

Hi Alan

I very much agree with all the books and sites you recommend.

For the benefit of anyone reading who's just starting out with lichens I'd also mention the foldout A4 photoguide, 'pamphlets' from the Field Studies Council. They've done a few (Lichens on Twigs, Urban Lichens, Lichens on Rocky Shores...). Of course, in a few pages they cover only a fraction of the British species, but as a beginner myself several years ago I found them a really helpful way to get started.

[MattPrince]

Have to say that your post is spot on Alan - and your site excellent. All of those resources are a brilliant help to the newbie lichenologist.

I also agree with Walloon as well - the FSC sheets are a good intro, and actually work quite well with Dobson - start with the FSC to check for the commoner stuff then back it up with Dobson, acts like a 'these are the common species' pointer and prevents hours of thumbing through only to realise its a common species that doesn't quite look like the picture in Dobson because its too dry/too wet/odd colour or you haven't got your head around the scale of the picture.

Of course when you really really get into it - Dobson doesn't have all of the lichens! [ But I've got got a long long way to go before that's an issue ! ]

Another resource that is very useful if you can get hold of one is a local lichen flora. My wife and I have been using Barbara Benfields Devon Flora (having already had a lot of help from the author) with some success chasing down Stinky Sticta's and the like!

Actually - that's my personal top tip - get out with an experienced lichenologist - that really is an eye opener - quite humbling but will help immensely, even if it doesn't feel like it at first!

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by MattPrince

....start with the FSC to check for the commoner stuff then back it up with Dobson....

Although, with the exception of the FSC "key to lichens on twigs", which is by Pat Wolseley, Peter James, & Diccon Alexander, all of the other FSC fold out lichen guides are also by Frank Dobson.

So, other than for that one exception, one could amost say it's a case of use Dobson before using Dobson.

On a more serious note - another useful resource for the beginner, is the Joint Nature Conservation Committee booklet "Cladonia: a field guide", by NG Hodgetts.
Cladonia is a complete minefield to me, (as are most other lichens if truth be known) but there is some useful info in this little booklet which has served to demistify at least a couple of Cladonia's mysteries.

Regards,
Mike.

[AlanS]

I agree the FSC fold-out keys are very useful; for a long time a set of them were a standard part of the contents of my 'equipment box' when I travel. Also Barbara Benfield's Devon flora, with the one qualification that my own copy would be a lot more useful if I knew where I have put it!

Frank Dobson has produced two spiral bound booklets that are very well worth having: A Field Key to Common Churchyard Lichens, and A Field Key to Coastal and Seashore Lichens. Many of the same thumbnail pictures as in the fold-out guides, but better printed and some new. The keys are an update on his main book and contain useful annotations and mentions of look-alikes.

Alan