Many folks tell me they love moss. Happily I find its not just me. They love the softness, the greeness….but that’s about it. Not many folks take a closer look. Still fewer attempt the mission (near) impossible of learning who’s who in the moss world. Sadly, most folks never get the chance to adore what’s growing under their feet in pavement cracks or on the forest floor.
A big block to finding out more about moss is the lack of user friendly guides. Most are highly technical and require a hefty dictionary of botanical terms. I mean, how many people know the difference between an excurrent or percurrent nerve…. or want to know? Many books require a microscope to check a species description. Many books are out of date and out of print.
With this state of affairs how can moss lovers become moss learners? If you happen to be a moss lover but feel understandably daunted, here’s a new little book that might help. Its like a miniature coffee table book of an enigmatic world right under your feet.
A little fieldguide, hot off the press
Its a fieldguide I’ve been working on with my friend Bernard Slattery and other friends of the box ironbark forests (FOBIF). It’s written with the beginner in mind, with a minimum of technical language. The best thing about the book is the stunning photos, taken by some determined and talented photographs (not me) …..moss is arguably one of the toughest things to photograph well. I think the photos in this guide will make it possible for a beginner to identify common moss species. It will also take the armchair naturalist on a picturesque foray into moss world.
Follow this link if you’d like to find out more.
