Mosses of Missouri Through a Hand Lens: a Moss Field Guide

A field guide to the mosses of Missouri and the Midwest.

“For those who are interested in mosses, but deterred by inaccessible books on the subject, this attractive manual includes half of the species documented from Missouri and synthesizes decades of research on the state’s bryoflora.”
John Atwood, Curator of Bryophytes, Missouri Botanical Garden

This photographic field guide is supplemented with illustrations for both the dichotomous keys and botanical terminology, making identification easier for both amateurs and budding bryologists alike. Only a hand lens is needed to work through the keys, and quick keys are provided as an alternative method of identification.

“The gateway to learning mosses in the field has arrived! Through outstanding descriptions, keys, and illustrations, Lorie Hetrick-Volenberg has created a portal to the unexplored green world of mosses we have needed for so long.”
Justin Thomas, Director, Institute of Botanical Training

Family, genus, and species accounts are written to give both general and in-depth information to match each reader’s desire. Multiple photographs provide habitat view, size reference, and different characteristics that aid in field identification. Confidence values are assigned to each species to help provide a sense of determination accuracy.

Though the illustrated dichotomous keys are written for Missouri moss species, due to the broad range of the majority of the species, this guide may be used in surrounding states as well as the Midwest. To order your copy, please click here for your order form.

About the Author

While I grew up in the suburbs of a big city as a child, I was never away from a campground or a park for long. My love for nature and animals was instilled in me at a very young age, and I began drawing when I could first hold a pencil. Later in life, I found myself living my dream out in the country on a small farm with my husband, cats, and horses. I started to volunteer at Graham Cave SP in Missouri and found that it was work that I really enjoyed. Studying, researching, and stewarding our natural resources has become my passion in life, and bryophytes quickly came to the forefront. I eventually became known amongst my nature loving friends and colleagues as The Moss Lady. Speaking of names, my pen name, Lena Lichenpold, was given to me by my husband. Lena is a common Norwegian name from his heritage (we call each other Ole and Lena all the time). Lichenpold represents two things. The first represents my first love of Lichen, which accidentally led me to my bryophyte passion. The second is a play on Aldo Leopold’s last name. Aldo Leopold was one of America’s great naturalists who sculpted modern day environmental ethics and was a strong force in the movement for wilderness conservation. I write my children’s books under the pen name, as well as my naturalist FB page.