Mosses Are Exploiting These Little Micro Habitats

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In the desert on a rock, the mosses are teensy. You know, they might only be a couple of millimeters tall because they have to stay within the boundary layer of that rock surface. Whereas if they're living under the shady moist canopy of a hemlock tree, they can be five inches tall. They're exploiting these little micro habitats rather than trying to dominate and control the habitat. That's ecologically, that's part of the puzzle then, how it all fits together. Absolutely.

It’s November and you need chill vibes. And Native American Heritage Month is the perfect time to encore this classic. World-renowned author, botanist, Indigenous ecology professor and bryologist Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Gathering Moss” and “Braiding Sweetgrass,” talks about her passion for moss. Cozy up for the most beautifully doled-out information about hidden worlds, overlooked mysteries, botanical drama, forests in miniature, Native peoples’ uses for moss and philosophies about science and ecology. Dr. Kimmerer will change the way you see mosses forever, will inspire you to wear a loupe on a rope, and will soothe your soul with her beautiful voice and prose. Also bathmats, lawns and smoothies made of moss? We discuss.

Follow Dr. Kimmerer on Facebook at

Look for her books at independent bookstores or wherever books are sold (including Amazon): “Braiding Sweetgrass” and “Gathering Moss”

Donations went to the ESF’s Center for Native Peoples and the Environment and American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)