Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians (Princeton Field Guides)

What Roger Tory Peterson did for birds so many years ago Drs. Rohrer and McKnight have done for mosses: providing the first comprehensive field guide. Covering 200 species common to the Northeast, Appalachians, and Upper Midwest this breakthrough work provides a systematic means for differentiating between a bewildering array of these beautiful primitive plants. All aspects of this guide, from writing to photography, line drawings, and sturdy binding will please the avid field guide user. There are two versions of this book: one is spiral bound and the other (currently offered by Amazon) has a standard binding/cover with a clear vinyl dust jacket. Either will fit handily into a pack pocket.Besides morphologic identifying features, the guide also indicates the typical habitat each moss is found in.For the gardener, this book builds on books of the past two decades (Schenk, Cullina) that have taught us how to use moss in garden or path as a ground-cover grass-alternative, by enabling us to know which moss one has found and whether it might be appropriate for a desired garden setting.If you're on the fence about purchasing this book a glance at the "look inside" feature of Amazon's entry will convince you how beautifully laid out it is.In detail: The first 30 pages are an introduction to mosses and how to use the book.The next 300 are species entries, each comprising a two page spread: To the left of the binding are multiple photographs and line drawings, all excellent; On the right are: scientific and common name, overall appearance, leaves, capsules, habitat, similar species and microscopic features. The species are organized according to morphology with color coded tabs extending to the front page margins for easy navigation.The next 40 pages are dichotomous keys which I personally found to speed up the identification process.4 pages of species lists for each of 10 different habitats (bogs, forest floor, etc).5 pages of index.

Did you know that there are this many different mosses? I had no idea. Fun walk through the wood finding and identifying all these looking mosses!

I found this a very useful guide to mosses in the White Mountains. There we have a plethora of many mosses and the guide provides a simple and direct way to determine what one sees. Basically there is a branch and leaf type guide on the edges of the pages and nicely color coded so that determining a species is very straightforward. The photos are clear and detailed and the specifics detail the plant at visual and microscopic levels. The book is sturdy for field use and is useful for both beginners and those with more experience in the field. The only negative is that is is a bit heavy and thick but the detail is worth the extra few ounces.

This book should be on the shelf of any lover of the outdoors in northeastern U.S. The best part is the excellent photographs. They good enough for anybody to get at least close to a correct identification of the mosses they encounter. My only serious complaint is that the authors have used casual terms for moss parts without giving the corresponding technical terms in the book. It is supposed to make the book more accessible to non-professionals but it will make it hard for beginners to appreciate that lid means operculum when they try to use other books. Their identification method is a bit unorthodox and will take some getting used to.

I live on a small but diverse 3 acre wooded lot in NW CT. There is a seemingly endless number of mosses, all astonishingly beautiful, waiting to be observed and identified on my little acreage.The delicate perfection of each tiny plant is a marvel and this book has helped me grow in my appreciation of these beautiful plants.I would highly recommend this guide to anyone who enjoys a walk in the woods, or even a shady place in the garden. Mosses are all around us and, for me, it is a pleasure to be able to identify them.The books is well organized, clear and concise. Identifying the various mosses is simple with this books as a reference.

I go out in the woods a lot, and this book makes moss identification fun and accessible. Especially helpful is that the book provides a large photo of the moss as it will look when you see it in the forest, plus smaller pictures of the leaves as you'll see them if you look in a microscope, plus a drawing showing you what about the leaves are distinctive. Plus, each species description also includes a "similar species" section, which I've used so many times. It also has written descriptions of the appearance, leaves, capsules and habitat. This book will help you appreciate the fabulous diversity of Northeastern mosses.

For the first time, it's possible for beginners to identify mosses without a struggle. The keys are user-friendly. This book will make mosses accessible to many more amateur naturalists. If your plant is not common enough to find the species exactly, at least you can get a running start. It has recently been possible to identify a moss from one of my study plots that I have been wondering about for years. In the past, I was too intimidated by the technical books I had struggled with, so put the job off.

We have many interesting mosses on or property. It has been fun getting to know these life forms.