A comprehensive guide to Michigan’s wild-growing seed plants

Examines the fens and bogs of the upper Midwest, with a taxonomic treatment of peat mosses

Examines the fens and bogs of the upper Midwest, with a taxonomic treatment of peat mosses

This book offers a complete and comprehensive understanding of how mosses function biologically and ecologically and how that translates to the effective establishment and management of a successful and appealing garden. Here you will learn basic science, culture methods and identification techniques of mosses. Readers in the public garden field will learn related curation practices and modes of public interpretation. Above all, this book will enlighten people to the captivating and charming world of mosses.

This engaging illustrated guidebook reveals the fascinating mosses and lichens that homeowners, outdoorspeople, and nature lovers encounter every day in Ohio and the Midwest. In this guide to the most common and distinctive moss, liverwort, and lichen species in Ohio, readers will find concise physical descriptions, facts about natural history and ecology, and tips to distinguish look-alike species, all presented in a friendly, conversational tone. Featuring detailed photographs of the plant and plantlike species in their natural settings, the book covers 106 mosses, thirty liverworts, and one hundred lichens and offers several avenues to match a specimen to its description page. “Where They Grow” chapters spotlight species commonly encountered on field outings, and field keys to help readers quickly identify unfamiliar samples. While designed primarily as an identification tool, this guide also frames moss and lichen spotting in a scientific context. The two main sections—bryophytes and lichens—detail their respective taxonomic kingdoms, explain their life cycles and means of reproduction, and illustrate variation in the traits used for identification. The book is an introduction to the biology of these intriguing but too-often-overlooked organisms and a means to enjoy, identify, and catalog the biodiversity all around us.