The Hidden World of Mosses

The Hidden World of Mosses takes a deep dive into the tiny world we pass by every day by Dr Neil Bell 

Mosses have a spectacular diversity of beautiful and surprising forms. They are nearly always, what we as humans would consider, small; but they play a critical role in climate change prevention and have an ability to hold and control water in forests, uplands and valleys. Hidden World of Mosses explores the tiny, intriguing environments of these plants that have their own miniature forests filled with grazers and predators, and their own ecological norms and mechanics.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh will publish The Hidden World of Mosses on March 31, providing an accessible guide to these not-so-humble botanical gems.  Written by bryologist Dr Neil Bell, the book presents information about these incredible plants, exploring their tiny, intriguing and diverse environments in detail.  This fascinating book also contains hundreds of stunning photographs which reveal the beauty and splendour of moss.

Speaking about the publication of The Hidden World of Mosses, Neil Bell said, “Mosses are just a little smaller than most things we deal with in our everyday lives, so we tend not to notice their intricate beauty and how different they are from each other unless we make the effort to look really closely. Mosses and their relatives have evolved to live in a different way from other plants, playing a critical role in the environment that other plants can’t, and the mosses and liverworts we have in Scotland are of international significance - far more so than our other native plants, in fact. We need to recognise that and protect them. I hope that this book will raise awareness of this hidden botanical world and encourage more people to explore it .”

• Author: Neil Bell
• Format: Paperback
• Publisher: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
• Pages: 220 with colour illustrations throughout