One in 3,000 forests: microscopic moss, reclaiming the language we once shared with nature

"An ancient legend says,

Thrushes, trees, mosses and humans, all living things once shared a language.

But that language has long been forgotten,

★Poetic botanical writing★

Fortunately we have Robin Wall Kimmel,

She uses the inheritance from the Indian tribe and precise academic training to

Find for us the language humans and moss once shared,

It also creates the most organic and poetic combination of botany and nature writing.

★Won the 2005 John Burroughs Medal, the highest honor for natural literature in the United States

★It has been published for 17 years and has received good reviews, including a five-star rating on Amazon.com.

★A masterpiece of nature writing that combines "ethnobotany", "popular science knowledge" and "humanistic care"

★The author is one of the most important contemporary authorities on moss research, Robin Wall Kimmel

★With 9 hand-drawn illustrations by Howard Alvin Crum, a well-known North American liverwort expert

★Revised by Dr. Yang Jiadong of Endemic Biological Research and Conservation Center

As an authority on moss research in the United States and a descendant of the Potawatomi bear tribe in the United States, Robin Wall Key has different experiences and unique ancestry as a mother and a Native American writer. Merle is not only good at precise scientific vocabulary, but also good at showing the Indians' thoughts and depth in connecting with all things in nature between the lines.

"We have been taught,

Using plants is to pay respect to the nature in which they live.

Use the plant in a way that allows its talents to continue to grow. "

"One Forest in 3,000" contains nineteen essays by Kimmel. She uses popular science knowledge as the basis, life experience and tribal traditions as the weft, combining life stories with the experience of studying liverworts for many years. In this series of essays, there are descriptions of her daily interactions with her daughter and neighbors; there are exciting adventures in collecting in the wild; there is also the super-rich man who invited her to serve as a consultant for an exquisite antique moss garden in the deep mountains and forests in the name of restoration. ——But she discovered that the restoration was to cover up a crime of wandering into the gray area and stealing nature, and from beginning to end, she had no way of knowing the true identity of the rich man.

"One Forest in 3000" has smooth and beautiful natural writing, as well as clear scientific language. Kimmel tries to use different knowledge systems to let us break through the limitations of scale and understand the effects of tiny plants like liverworts. The inspiration is as grand as the forest. The author's style is sometimes like the motto of a philosopher, sometimes like the reminders and warnings of ecological scientists, but more often than not, it is like the teachings of a tribal elder or a mother, long and gentle, entwining the inseparable relationship between humans, moss and nature.

★An ancient, tiny plant that supports an entire forest

Moss is the oldest plant and the first plant to leave water and conquer land. It is only one-thousandth of the size of a rainforest, but moss can support trees, protect the soil, conserve water, protect insects from wind and rain, and is used by birds and bears to build nests... in many unexpected places. It supports the movement of a forest in detail.

★Plants growing in the gaps between cities

Moss that grows in cities has many things in common with humans: it is diverse, adaptable, and highly resistant to stress. It can live well in crowded environments and travel frequently! The structure of the leaves of moss has many similarities with human alveoli. When they reduce and disappear, it is a warning to us about air pollution. Moss’s antibacterial and absorptive capabilities were widely used as a substitute for cotton in World War I. and wound dressings…

★Salute to the moss in Indian tradition

The traditional Indians collected moss to wipe away the mucus toxins on salmon skin, and stuffed moss into their gloves and boots to insulate themselves from the biting cold air in winter; in the days before Pampers, the baby's cradleboard would be stuffed with comfort. dried moss; also, in women’s menstrual isolation huts, there will be baskets of carefully selected moss to accompany them through this period of spiritual peak that the Indians believe; the Indians also make gray moss It is said that it will make people have special dreams...

[Excerpt from the text]

"An elder from Cheyenne once told me that the best way to discover something is not to look for it. As a scientist, I find this idea incredible. He said to be open to all kinds of things beyond the scope of sight. Possibilities, so that what you are looking for will appear."

"Learning to observe mosses is more like listening than looking. A quick glance is not enough. Only by filtering out all the noise can you really hear the music. Moss are not background music, they are the entwining Beethoven string quartet. Observe The method of moss can be like listening carefully to the water hitting the rocks. The streams have many kinds of sounds, which make people calm, and the moss also has various greenery, which makes people feel comfortable."

"In Onondaga County in upstate New York, there are several ceremonies throughout the year to express gratitude to plants, each at its own time, first the maples, then strawberries, beans, and corn. Every October in California The town of Big Bear Lake has an acorn feast. As far as I know, there is no special ceremony dedicated to moss. Perhaps the best way to honor these humble little plants is in ordinary small ways. Gentleness holds the baby, catches the menstrual blood, stops the bleeding, and keeps the body warm—isn’t this how we live in this world?”