Green wonder

Gardeners have many foes: weeds, snails, squirrels, volesA small rodent which burrows. . But their most cunning enemy might be moss: the bizarre ancient plant that turns lawns into clumpy messes.

But according to a recent global survey, the gardeners are wrong. Moss is actually a miracleSomething amazing or wonderful. It is a very unusual event. plant. It fights air pollutionThe presence in the air of harmful or poisonous substances. Air pollution can cause many health problems. , cools down air, keeps soil healthy and helps other plants to grow.¹ 

Mosses have a unique structure. While most plants use roots to absorb air and water, mosses do so with their entire bodies. 

This makes them incredible at removing air pollution. Some moss species can suck in the chemicals in car exhaust fumes, while others can remove heavy metals from the air.²

They are also natural sponges. They can slurp up and store up to 20 times their weight in water. When this evaporates, it can cool the air around by up to 2C.

According to environmental biologist Robin Wall Kimmerer, mosses are: "the most overlooked plants on the planet. But they're gifts, too. They provide us with another model of how we might live."

Kimmerer fell in love with moss as a student.Now she thinks that they can offer lessons for our future. Mosses are the oldest land plants on earth, with the first examples dating back 450 million years.

We have often used moss. Ancient mountain people lined their boots and gloves with mosses for insulation. Fishermen have used moss to clean caught salmon. Doctors in World War OneA war that included many European countries between 1914 and 1918.  used peat moss to help heal wounds.³ 

Yet while mosses are amazing, they are difficult for us to copy. When they face hostileUnfriendly or disagreeable. climates, they can dehydrateLose a large amount of water. themselves and freeze until a better time comes. We cannot do the same.

Kimmerer is certain that "the plant world will renew itself" as the planet heats up. But will humans be around to witness the mossy new world? She says: "I have less faith in that."

Yes: Plants can teach us to think differently. As naturalist Henry David Thoreau wrote: "by the mediation of a thousand little mosses and fungi, the most unsightly objects become radiant of beauty."

No: Moss is an amazing plant. But it is also a very different species to us. None of its lessons can stop the environmental crisis that threatens our world.

Or... The great fact of human life is that we can learn from almost everything. Moss is no exception. But there are plenty of other plants and animals that can teach us just as much or more.