Love moss? Love what lives in it? I have been writing the book called Moss Safari: Exploring the Secret Life in Moss, over the past year and here I list some of the best books I have used in my research. Moss Safari will come out next year. During that time I did a lot of reading. These are the books that I have read about moss and its ecology.
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Here are the books in no particular order:
An accessible introduction to moss, its importance, its biodiversity, its adaptations and life within by bona fide expert Neil Bell. Amazing photos as well
Great starter for the natural history and biology of moss.
Burnett’s book is a literary celebration of mosses. Bringing together human emotions and the appreciation of moss in heartfelt prose, this book conjured a range of emotions and insights for me. My favourite quote: “Moss is known as the living carpet but if you look really closely, it contains its own irrepressible light.’
Moss and the wetlands where they grow are crucial to climate stability. However, we are rapidly depleting them, releasing the carbon they hold and reducing the diversity of these incredible habitats.
It’s a personal journey for understanding the significance of these habitats.
This book helped me understand about the rainforests of Britain and the inherent role of mosses in them. This gives the bigger picture.
This a great way to start identifying mosses in the UK. It is categorised into different habitats and had great pictures and descriptions. This is my go to starting point for moss identification.
Probably the best book ever to introduce you the natural history of mosses. Weaving the natural and cultural relationship of moss together in memorable prose. Natural science and social science seamlessly interwoven.
Finally, the introduction to this book fascinated me. I learnt a lot about the ecology of mosses and liverworts. It lists and describes the harder to find bryophytes of England.
Part 2 of this blog lists my favourite books to identify the organisms that live in moss.
If I’ve missed any, let me know and I will add them.
Moss Safari 