Ignorance may not quite be bliss, but, for this naturalist, it is certainly a goad, and though, when it comes to mosses, I have so far tried and failed to master the group, I am, in 2017, finally making a bit of progress. The reason, I should note, is because of a new book: Mosses, Liverworts, and Hornworts: A Field Guide to Common Bryophytes of the Northeast, which was written by Ralph Pope and published by Cornell University Press. I had the great good luck of getting out in the field with Ralph, a retired high-end printer who became a stellar botanist, a few years ago, and when the book came out late last year, Cornell happily sent me a review copy and Ralph has been helping me work through it. Mosses are definitely not easy, but the book makes them possible... if, of course, you're willing to do the necessary toil, particularly the requirement of mastering a whole new vocabulary. I love this sort of thing, and I have an additional plus: Ralph has been willing to look at my photographs of mosses and, after I've made an attempt to key them out, tell me if I'm in the right identification ballpark. It's definitely a blessing, as well as a joy, when I get one right for the right botanical reasons. This rock-growing example of Ulota hutchinsiae is today's success story.