Life in the boundary layer. Natural and cultural history of mosses

Inhabiting the boundaries of our usual perception, mosses are a common but inconspicuous element of the natural world. We only occasionally notice them in the cracks of urban asphalt, on tree trunks, or on the surfaces of rocks. Robin Wall Kimmerer's book on bryology is not a field guide or a scientific treatise. Rather, it is a series of interconnected personal essays about the lives of mosses, intertwined with the lives of countless other beings, from salmon and hummingbirds to fungi, bacteria, and rural gardeners. Kimmerer engagingly explains the biology of mosses, while reflecting on what these remarkable organisms can teach us. Drawing on her diverse experience as a scientist, mother, Native American, and professional observer accustomed to looking closely to see something important, Robin Wall Kimmerer tells diverse stories of mosses in scientific terms, but also within the framework of ways of knowing inherent to Indigenous tribes. In her book, the natural history and cultural relationships of mosses become a powerful metaphor for life in the world.