It’s a great time of year for moss. It’s cooler, damper and in some places soaking. I’m seeing what were dry desiccated clumps plump into green cushions and mats again. And as we know at Moss Safari, that means one thing, the microscopic Big Five and friends will be waking up and going about their mossy business!
While that is happening, we have been seeing record hits on the website, which means that schools are in full swing and using the Moss Safari resources. In this update, I tell you what I am up to, what Moss Safari has planned for the rest of this year and some hints at some behind the scenes goings on.
New Moss Safari Merch: Tardigrade pins
You might know that Moss Safari has an online shop. I sell the signed Moss Safari book through it, some sticker sheets and to raise some money towards an upcoming project I have designed and produced some cute Tardigrade pins. Take a look and pop one in your basket!
Up coming events: New Scientist Live, BGEN and ASE Conference
Always check in to the Moss Safari Projects and Events page to see what I am up to. We have got three significant events:
Moss Safari will be at New Scientist Live 2025 at Excel in London on Saturday 18th October – Monday 20th October. Visit the stall to hopefully see a water bear. Say the secret password and you will get a Moss Safari sticker. More details here.
Training Session with BGEN – Tue 4 Nov 2025, 10-11 AM
Botanic Gardens Education Network. Online training on Moss Safari – an introduction to moss identification. Get your ticket here.
At the Association for Science Education Annual Conference Friday 9th January 2026, I will be presenting a Moss Safari session that gives details about the book and launches the updated and re-branded online Moss Safari teaching resources. Get your ticket now and look out for more details!
What’s brewing?
I am busy at the moment up dating and rebranding all the Moss Safari free resources so that they are pitched at 7-11 year olds, 11-16 year olds and 16+ explorers. This will make it easier for teachers and other educators to select the appropriate resources for their groups. I trialed this with the Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek resources with a positive response.
In addition I am applying for funding to carry out a national survey of microscope use in secondary schools across the UK and I am part of a European wide bit for moss research and education. Both are being developed but I hope to have good news in the new year. Finally, I am teaching myself moss identification. I’ll be sharing some of my finds and attempted identification on social media (Facebook, Instagram and BlueSky). Feel free to get involved.
Are you doing a Moss Safari?
I love to know if you are doing your own Moss Safari either at school or on your own. Send me your pictures on social media – tagging Moss Safari – or send via message on this website. I will add them to the Gallery. Download the free resources from here, and look out for the updated versions in January.
Moss Safari 