Start to Identify Mosses

Start to Identify Mosses is Faith Anstey’s latest addition to her popular ‘Start to Identify’ series. Anyone who has used Start to Identify Grasses, or Start to Identify Composite Flowers: Daisy, Dandelion, Thistle, will know that the aim is to provide an approachable introduction to the subject of mosses for those with just a minimal smattering of botanical knowledge. Less a field guide, more a foundation in how to learn the skills needed for identifying mosses from scratch.

Recognising that keys can be a little daunting for the beginner, Faith has utilised a more friendly flowchart format, leading the reader through easy steps from ‘What is a moss?’ to simplified identification of 24 of the most commonly recorded mosses in the British Isles.

Faith has packed this little guide full of photographs which she couples with a colloquial approach to breaking down jargon, such as: “I’m also going to use the word ‘whisker’ for what the books call ‘a long almost white hair point’ as seen sticking out from the tip of a leaf…‘Whisker’ is not a technical term, but a useful abbreviation for the extended hair point.”

Anyone wanting to take their first steps in bryology, be it ecologists, botanists, gardeners or natural history lovers of any age, will find Start to Identify Mosses to be an invaluable companion.