Wondrous Moss

Moss is such a beautiful non-flowering plant. Besides that, mosses are vitally important in the carbon sequestration process (they store massive amounts of carbon), so can help regulate carbon dioxide levels which can lead to global warming.

Robin Wall Kimmerer, Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at SUNY, also outlined in her book, "Gathering Moss" (2003) what a diverse and rich habitat they provide:

"One gram of moss from the forest floor, a piece about the size of a muffin, would harbour 150,000 protozoa, 132,000 tardigrades, 3,000 springtails, 800 rotifers, 500 nematodes, 400 mites, and 200 fly larvae. These numbers tell us something about the astounding quantity of life in a handful of moss.”

The astounding diversity they support is mind-blowing, and yet ... we choose a sterile, monoculture grass for our lawns, and try to eradicate mosses! We need to rethink this ...