Description
Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by biologist (a botanist who specializes in the study of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) Robin Wall Kimmerer explains the stories of mosses in scientific terms as well as in the framework of Indigenous ways of knowing. Dr. Kimmerer, Associate Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, interweaves the biological life histories of many different genera of mosses with recollections from both her own life and her Potawatomi Bear Clan's traditions. In this series of linked personal essays, Robin Wall Kimmerer leads general readers and scientists alike to an understanding of how mosses live and how their lives are intertwined with the lives of countless other beings. Kimmerer explains the biology of mosses clearly and artfully, while at the same time reflecting on what these fascinating organisms have to teach us. In 2005 Dr. Kimmerer was awarded the John Burroughs medal for writing it; a remarkably appropriate distinction as the book wonderfully reflects the Burroughs legacy of combining natural science with lyrical prose and philosophical inquiry to produce a work that not only enlightens the intellect of the reader but nourishes the soul as well. Simple black and white line drawings, index, and suggestions for further reading. This 168-page volume is in its ninth printing.