Lesson 17
Beatrix Potter Likes Lichens: She was known for writing and illustrating "Peter Rabbit," but Beatrix Potter also had a passion for studying a symbiotic organism called lichen.
Beatrix Potter Likes Lichens: She was known for writing and illustrating "Peter Rabbit," but Beatrix Potter also had a passion for studying a symbiotic organism called lichen.
Beatrix Potter, in case you don’t know, was a 19th century Englishwoman who wrote and illustrated books about a rabbit named Peter, who wore a blue coat with brass buttons and was chased by a farmer named Mr Mcgregor. Peter’s adventures, and Potter’s drawings, have made Peter Rabbit one of the most loved characters in children’s literature worldwide.
But Potter, who was born in 1866, had another interest and another subject she liked to draw. She was fascinated by lichens, (LIKE ens), a multi-cellular life form that is becoming an important subject of study in the expanding field of geobiology. Lichens are not plants or animals, nor are they bacteria. They are symbiotic organisms that pair two species together – a fungi with another life form, typically algae, that can perform photosynthesis, a process of converting sunlight into energy which is critical to survival. Because of their essential partnerships, lichens have two genomes. In Potter’s era, lichens were just beginning to be understood. The legendary naturalist Charles Darwin (who died when Potter was 16 and helped pioneer the theory of evolution) saw life as competitive. Darwin’s ideas were controversial, but in the universities he was a big scientific guru. Darwin’s followers described life as a battlefield. Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson talked of nature as “red in tooth and claw.” Symbiosis is about partnership, rather than Darwin’s “survival of the fittest.” It is about cooperation in Nature. Could life be more complex than Darwin imagined? Today, some 21st century scientists are focusing on symbiosis as a major force in life’s story. Potter grew up in a wealthy Victorian household and was educated at home, a solitary existence that fueled her curiosity about the things around her. She was an intelligent woman from a privileged family who was mostly free to do what she wanted with her life, as long as she didn’t break the social rules of the day. She was a talented artist and a careful observer. She filled sketchbooks, and over the years painted and drew plants and animals in exquisite detail; she was particularly attracted to fungi and lichen. Potter wanted to be taken seriously as a scientist, which was difficult for women of her era. Though she was encouraged by her uncle, a chemist named Sir Henry Roscoe, she felt thwarted by the scientific establishment of the time. Much later, the Linnean Society, a famous London scientific body where one of her papers was presented, conceded that Potter had been “treated scurvily” by the society. While there has been debate over the years about her scientific findings, ultimately Potter believed lichens were a single organism, as did many others of the day; in fact they are two entities bound together – or in some cases even three. Lichens have no roots so, unlike plants, they don’t need a continuous source of water. That’s why they can grow on bare rock, in sterile soil, sand, and on walls, roofs and monuments. Sometimes they grow on other plants or on the trunks and branches of trees. They perform a number of important tasks in nature. Lichens are not parasites; they do not consume any part of a host plant nor poison it. They can recycle nutrients or extract moisture from the air efficiently. They can also survive severe cold, serve as a food source and stay dormant for long periods without harm. They can live on rock, or plastic, or tree bark, or almost anything. They can dissolve the surface of their host (the rock, for instance) and free its minerals for use by themselves or others. In deserts, lichen crusts can stabilize sand, help retain water, and encourage plants to grow. Where there is no moisture they dry completely. This is not dehydration (as found in many plants and animals), it is a complete loss of body water that turns the lichen brittle. When moisture becomes available, lichen absorb it quickly, becoming soft and fleshy again. They can survive in scorching deserts and frosty tundra. Potter’s lichen and fungi drawings are beautiful, which is perhaps no surprise coming from Peter Rabbit’s author and illustrator. “She was drawn to fungi first by their ephemeral fairy qualities and then by the variety of their shape and colour and the challenge they posed to watercolour techniques,” wrote Potter’s biographer, Linda Lear. Why don’t you take drawing pencils and some paper and go for a walk? You may be amazed at what you will discover and the satisfaction that comes with drawing Nature’s objects with care and precision. |
If you want to learn more about Beatrix Potter and the debate over her scientific pursuits, this BBC article is a good reference. Follow this link.
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Beatrix Potter created Peter Rabbit, who can you create?
Peter Rabbit is not the only animal who can talk and have adventures. Babar, a French elephant is one of my favorites. Is there a make-believe animal you loved when you were little and still enjoy? Writers and artists have often used bugs and animals to present issues and conflicts that we humans find difficult to face. Sometimes it’s just a way to be creative and have fun. You can join that party.
Hedwig the owl, Toto the dog, Wilbur the pig, Misty the horse, Winn-Dixie the dog, Amigo the guinea pig, Charlotte the spider, Bambi the deer, the Three Bears who walk into Goldilocks’s life? They are all based on real creatures who were turned into characters with something to say. How about creating an animal friend? Give your new friend a name. Then draw and/or write and let your character speak out. If you turn your work into a book you can share it with young friends (you may find that lots of adults enjoy books intended for young readers).
Think a bit about what you want your animal/character to say or do. Perhaps comment on the world about us? Perhaps find a way to deal with life's issues and challenges?
Peter Rabbit is not the only animal who can talk and have adventures. Babar, a French elephant is one of my favorites. Is there a make-believe animal you loved when you were little and still enjoy? Writers and artists have often used bugs and animals to present issues and conflicts that we humans find difficult to face. Sometimes it’s just a way to be creative and have fun. You can join that party.
Hedwig the owl, Toto the dog, Wilbur the pig, Misty the horse, Winn-Dixie the dog, Amigo the guinea pig, Charlotte the spider, Bambi the deer, the Three Bears who walk into Goldilocks’s life? They are all based on real creatures who were turned into characters with something to say. How about creating an animal friend? Give your new friend a name. Then draw and/or write and let your character speak out. If you turn your work into a book you can share it with young friends (you may find that lots of adults enjoy books intended for young readers).
Think a bit about what you want your animal/character to say or do. Perhaps comment on the world about us? Perhaps find a way to deal with life's issues and challenges?