Viviendo en los límites de nuestra percepción ordinaria, los musgos son un elemento común, pero en gran medida desapercibido del mundo natural. ‘Reserva de musgo' es una hermosa mezcla de ciencia y reflexión personal que invita a los lectores a explorar y aprender de la vida elegantemente sencilla de los musgos. En esta serie de ensayos personales relacionados, Robin Wall Kimmerer lleva a lectores generales y científicos por igual a comprender cómo viven los musgos y cómo sus vidas se entrelazan con las de innumerables seres. Kimmerer explica la biología de los musgos con claridad y arte, al tiempo que reflexiona sobre lo que estos fascinantes organismos tienen que enseñarnos. Basándose en sus diversas experiencias como científica, madre, profesora y escritora de ascendencia indígena americana, Kimmerer explica las historias de los musgos en términos científicos, así como en el marco de las formas de conocimiento indígenas.

This is a really great book.it is a nice introduction to mosses, you learn about reproduction, habitat and evolution. At the same time the author mixes in some Native American philosophy and conservation messages which make the whole read far more personal than the average field guide or text book. Loved it ( )

This was a graceful, fascinating book I enjoyed immensely. Each essay felt so well constructed, and her devotion to her subject is apparent with every page. I found "Binding Up the Wounds: Mosses in Ecological Succession" and "The Red Sneaker" to be particular standouts.

I do wish she hadn't kept comparing moss destruction to chattel slavery in that one bit. ( )

[b:Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses|49236555|Gathering Moss A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses|Robin Wall Kimmerer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576344186l/49236555._SX50_.jpg|84013] by [a:Robin Wall Kimmerer|49921|Robin Wall Kimmerer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1441041257p2/49921.jpg]Robin Wall Kimmerer is a special book for anyone who loves nature and wants a glimpse of yet another hidden world. Robin wanders inquisitively through mosses as others wander through forests. It's the second book I've read of hers having thoroughly enjoyed [b:Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants|17465709|Braiding Sweetgrass Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants|Robin Wall Kimmerer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1366775928l/17465709._SY75_.jpg|24362458]. Robin Wall Kimmerer writes with humble authority as both a scientist and indigenous woman. In many ways Gathering Moss is a synthesis of what would first appear to be two incompatible approaches. In the first half of the book a number of her stories about individual mosses are also illustrative lessons in scientific method but later it's a method clearly informed by her native sensibilities. In the Chapter 'The Red Sneaker', about Sphagnum moss, she writes,

This is the spot where you might wish you had your shoes. The Sphagnum mat is mingled with dead branches of shrubs, hidden beneath the soft moss surface and waiting to put you in line for a tetanus shot....I am standing quietly on the surface of an earthly Drum, my feet supported by the floating Sphagnum, responding to the smallest movement , rippling under my shifting weight. I start to dance. In the old way, heel and toe, in slow tempo, each footfall rippling across the bog and answered by the returning wave rising to meet my step. My feet make a drum beat on the surface and the whole bog is set in rhythmic motion.

Gathering Moss is an increasingly enchanting book about both the fragility and resilience of nature, and I can't wait to use my microscope. ( )

A bit different than i was expecting but loved the book. I have always loved moss on trees and rocks but i now have a better understanding of them and will look at them differently now. ( )