Despite their beauty, variation, and ubiquity, mosses are not something with which even some of the most experienced naturalists among us are necessarily familiar – particularly in the United States where amateur bryology is not a widely practiced activity. However the new Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians by Karl McKnight, Joseph Rohrer, Kirsten McKnight Ward and Warren Perdrizet from Princeton University Press, written in straight-forward language to make it accessible to the interested amateur and chock-a-block full of easy-to-understand diagrams and supporting photo plates, may be one of the most significant developments in years toward changing this unfortunate state of bryological agnosticism for the better.
Founder and publisher of The Well-read Naturalist. Inveterate autodidact. Has repeatedly been found out standing in many fields. Plays well with otters.
