Stuart Patience – illustratör

An hourly guide that spotlights twenty-four fungus species as they spread spores, find food, and adapt to a changing planet.On this mushroom-filled day, ecologist Alison Pouliot tours the world to introduce readers to a fascinating variety of fungi. Each chapter of Mushroom Day introduces a single fungus during a single hour, highlighting twenty-four different species.In the dark of the night, the green glow of the ghost fungus guides us into the forest to learn about the mysteries of bioluminescence. At dawn, we awaken to find a fairy ring of mushrooms that has appeared overnight like something out of folklore. But we don’t have much time to linger, as we must reach the Italian forest before other porcino hunters forage the morning’s fattest and finest. In the heat of the afternoon, the ripe stench of the stinkhorn might send us out of the woods, while the enticing aroma of the aniseed funnel lures us back in. Late in the evening we spy a fungus known as the witches cauldron and wonder what it might tell us about the future. By the end of our mushroom day, we’ll have glimpsed the diversity of this unique kingdom, met fungus friends that feed and fascinate, and learned how humans can encourage their flourishing.For each hour, celebrated artist Stuart Patience has depicted these scenes with evocative pen and ink illustrations. Working together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, Pouliot and Patience have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or two—and a true gift for foragers, mycophiles, and anyone who wants to stop and appreciate fungi.

An hourly guide that follows twenty-four snakes as they find mates, hunt, and survive a changing world.Does a snake crossing your path trigger delight or dread? The answer is clear for celebrated biologist Marty Crump, who shows us that snakes deserve our respect, admiration, and protection. In her short book Snake Day, each chapter introduces a single snake during a single hour, highlighting twenty-four different species from around the globe. In the dark morning of a Brazilian forest, we avoid stepping on a jararaca, a nocturnal viper. If she bites, her venom will make our blood pressure—and us—drop. A synthetic version of this venom is now a lifesaving drug, used to treat hypertension and heart failure. Later in the morning, in the Zagros Mountains that trace Iran’s northwest border, what appears to be a tiny arachnid wiggles on the ground. When a hungry warbler approaches for a meal, realizes too late that the spider is actually a snake’s tail, and an Iranian spider-tailed viper makes a meal of the bird. In the early afternoon, in a pine forest outside Atlanta, Georgia, an eastern hognose snake strikes at us—a bluff—and then rolls over and plays dead. By the end of our snake day, we’ll have glimpsed the diversity of this unique group of reptiles, met serpentine friends who frighten and fascinate, and learned how humans can protect these amazing species.For each hour, celebrated artist Stuart Patience has depicted serpentine scenes in stunning pen-and-ink drawings. Working together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, Crump and Patience have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or two—and a true gift for amateur scientists or anyone who recoils at or relishes the sight of a snake.