Gathering Moss
A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses
Book - 2003 | First edition
Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. Gathering moss is a mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses. In this series of linked personal essays, Robin Kimmerer leads general readers and scientists alike to an understanding of how mosses live and how their lives are intertwined with the lives of countless other beings. Kimmerer explains the biology of mosses clearly and artfully, while at the same time reflecting on what these fascinating organisms have to teach us. Drawing on her experiences as a scientist, a mother, and a Native American, Kimmerer explains the stories of mosses in scientific terms as well as in the framework of indigenous ways of knowing. In her book, the natural history and cultural relationships of mosses become a powerful metaphor for ways of living in the world.
Publisher:
Corvallis, OR : Oregon State University Press, [2003]
Edition:
First edition
ISBN:
9780870714993
0870714996
0870714996
Call Number:
588.2 K49g 2003
Characteristics:
viii, 168 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm


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afowler813
Apr 13, 2020
“There is an ancient conversation going on between mosses and rocks, poetry to be sure.”
a
afowler813
Apr 06, 2020
"But the world is still unpredictable and still we survive by the grace of chance and the strength of our choices."

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Add a CommentPoetic science is the best kind of science.
You need to have some appreciation of native American world views, as well as an appreciation of the scientific perspective, to take in all this book offers. (I just scanned parts of it, truthfully.) That said, Gathering Moss is a book of extraordinarily high quality. And, I recommend her TEDx talk on line (Use the closed captioning). She tells it the way she sees it.
Wonderful botany, ethnobotany, and ecology study of mosses by native american scientist.