The Diversity of Form Within Mosses

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There's tremendous diversity of form within the mosses. People think about them as a green film almost. But no, they're tiny little plants with world leaves and leaves that might be flattened or spiraled. One moss is as different from the next as a oak tree is from a birch tree,. From a pine tree. Their leaves might have toothed edges. The leaf might be round. It might be like a hair-like extension. That's so smart. I know that we might take them for granted because our eyesight just doesn't allow us to kind of identify or notice their differences.

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)