I haven’t said much about mosses lately but since now is the time they are most easily seen I thought I’d get out there and see what I could find. Rose moss (Rhodobryum roseum) is one of the most beautiful mosses in my opinion, and gets its common name from the way that each plant looks like a tiny rose blossom. Rose moss is also a good indicator of your surroundings because it prefers growing in lime rich soil or on limestone boulders.
Can you tell which of these boulders have limestone in them? I can’t either but rose moss can, and it grows on just two of them.
Stair-step moss (Hylocomium splendens) is another very pretty moss that looks quite fragile, but I’ve seen it with icicles hanging from it and I can say with certainty that it’s a lot tougher than it looks. That is most likely why it grows as far north as the arctic tundra. When dry this moss has a slight satiny sheen to it, and that’s probably how it came by its other common name of glittering wood-moss.
Stair step moss gets its name from the way the new growth “steps up” off the midrib of the previous year’s branch. Each year a new branch grows from the old and this growth habit allows stair step moss to grow up and over other mosses. You can tell the age of the moss by counting these steps.
What I think is yellow feather moss (Homalothecium lutescens) always looks pale and kind of sickly, but if you look closely at its growing tips and new spore capsules you’ll find that it quite healthy. If you see it at all, that is; I know of only one small colony that grows on the very end of a log with a diameter of an average doughnut, and I’ve never found it anywhere else.
It’s easy to see how white tipped moss (Hedwigia ciliata) got its common name. This is a fairly common moss that seems to like to hang from the sides of boulders and ledges. Another name for it is Medusa moss, because when dry its leaves press close to the stem and it takes on a very wiry, string like appearance. Its ball shaped orange spore capsules (sporophytes) are hidden among the leaves on very short stalks, so they’re hard to see. This moss will even grow on asphalt roofs, so it is a perfect choice for green roof projects.
Delicate fern moss (Thuidium delicatulum) is another pretty moss but I’m not sure how it comes by its common name because it is far from delicate. I have a few patches of it growing in my back lawn that get mowed and walked on regularly and they thrive in spite of the abuse. The leaves of this moss grow more horizontally than vertically and it often forms very low, dense mats on logs or the forest floor in damp, shaded places.
Some “mosses” might have to be looked at a little closer.The growth on this stone isn’t a moss at all, though from a distance it looks just like one. It’s actually a liverwort called greater whipwort (Bazzania trilobata) and it grows right alongside mosses.
Up close greater whipwort looks as almost if it has been braided. Each leaf on this leafy liverwort is only about an eighth of an inch wide and has three triangular notches at its base. This is where the trilobata part of the scientific name comes from. It means “having three lobes.”
Something else often found growing on boulders right beside mosses is rockfoam lichen (Stereocaulon saxatile.) Mosses soak up moisture like a sponge when it rains and then release it slowly and lichens often take advantage of this. The best time to search for both lichens and mosses is after a rain because both are at their best when wet.
Haircap moss (Polytrichum commune) gets its name from the hairy covering (calyptra) on its spore capsules (sporophytes). It is a very common moss that grows in dense colonies of 2-4 inches tall, often mounded in the center. The sheaths on its leaves can be golden yellow and shiny and give this moss another common name of goldilocks. I see it almost everywhere I go.
Haircap moss spore capsules start life round bat as they age become almost square and winged. The example in this photo still has its end cap or lid, called an Operculum, in place. This means that it hasn’t released its spores yet. I’m not sure what caused the blue color but this is the only blue spore capsule that I’ve seen.
One reason I don’t do more posts on mosses even though they fascinate me is because they can be difficult to identify without a microscope and many of them look very similar. A good example of that is what I think is this narrow leaved beard moss (Helodium paludosum.) It looks a lot like the Hedwigia ciliata we looked at earlier, but without the white tips.
The reason I wanted to show this moss is because of the immature spore capsules (sporophytes). When young the sporophyte is completely surrounded by a tough protective covering called the calyptra. The calyptra is what gives the spore capsules in the above photo their whitish color. As the sporophytes grow their skin-like calyptras will be shed, revealing their reddish brown color. So, if you find a moss with white spore capsules you know that you are actually seeing its immature capsules.
Brocade Moss (Hypnum imponens) is very shiny and sometimes has an orange brown color. Its common name comes from the way it looks as if it has been embroidered on whatever it happens to be growing on. It is easily confused with knight’s plume moss (Ptilium crista-castrensis,) but the spore capsules on knights plume moss are elbow macaroni shaped and horizontal, while those of brocade moss are cylindrical and stand vertically, as seen in the above photo.
Mosses often change color when it gets colder and this delicate fern moss surprised me with what I thought was its bright orange color. My color finding software told me it was just my color blindness again, because it is really lime green. It is a very bright lime green though, and was shining like a beacon.
I hope I didn’t bore all of you to tears talking about mosses. Soon there will be very little besides moss that is still green, and for me there are few things more pleasurable than walking through the snowy winter woods with a bright blue sky overhead and the sunshine falling on some of the only green things to be seen. Mosses, lichens, liverworts, and a few evergreen ferns are part of what make nature study fun even in winter.
Nature conceals her secrets because she is sublime, not because she is a trickster. ~Albert Einstein
Thanks for stopping in.
I hope to learn more of the local mosses & liverworts here in Nelson, NH. On today’s weekly Monday Nelson bushwack we spent some time looking at mosses. One beautiful moss we found growing on a old (sugar maple?) log, and looking back at this page when I got home, found it to be rose moss (Rhodobryum roseum). Not much sweet soil in the Nelson wilds, so it was a treat to find. Have been noticing greater whipwort (Bazzania trilobata) for some time—seems to be very common in some areas, absent in other areas. It’s nice now have a name for it. Haircap Moss I’ve been familiar with for a long time, and we found others that were perhaps ones posted here—will have to do some more research to be sure.
Thank Al. I agree that rose moss is one of the most beautiful. Interesting that it was on a log, I’ve only seen it on stone. There are pockets of sweet soil around but they aren’t common. Westmoreland and Walpole are good places for limey soil. Mosses and liverworts are a lot of fun to find but can be tough to identify! You’re lucky that you have a group of people who are interested. I’ve been looking for the same around here but haven’t found one yet.
If you’re ever free on a Monday, it would be great to have you join us.
Thank you Al. Since I just got laid off from my job a while ago that’s a possibility. of course I’d let you know ahead of time.
Thanks for posting. Very informative.
Thank you, I’m glad that you thought so.
Nice pictures, interesting words, great quotation.
Thank you Ben.
Beautiful moss pictures although I’m not sure I’d be able to identify one from the other as well as you do.
I couldn’t do it without the books I have, and even with them it has taken me several years to learn the ones I do know.
I’m all for the moss garden idea! Should very low maintenance!! Great shots and wonderful information as always!
Thanks Martha. You still have to weed a moss garden but at least, if you let it take over your lawn, you don’t have to mow it.
Mosses definitely aren’t boring! Are quite fascinating.
I think so too. I have trouble passing them without stopping to look.
I love moss too, but my skill at identifying them is far short of adequate! Sure enjoyed your post though!
It’s certainly true that they are the brightest thing around in the dead of winter, and I admire their ability to do their thing in very inclement weather!
Thanks Montucky. I have a hard time identifying mosses too and I’m really only sure of a handful of them. They really are tough and will be showing that all too soon. I’m always happy to find them in winter.
Love the stairstep and haircap moss. A great deal of variety in the forms taken.
It’s amazing how many different mosses there are out there. You don’t realize it until you start trying to identify them.
I genuinely love your moss posts.
Thank you, I’m glad to hear it. These posts are a lot harder than most!
I am hoping to find the right day to go on a moss expedition soon.
Since they grow in such shady places I wait for sunny days, but with no leaves on the trees that can be problematic at times too.
So vivid. So alive. As we humans ought to consider being. 🙂
Thank you, I agree!
What an incredible variety! Great photos to illustrate them.
Thank you Sue. There are a lot of mosses out there!
I think mosses are really special as they are so pleasant to touch. I never realised there are so many different types. Amelia
Thank you Amelia. Yes, there are many-books full of them-and they can be very hard to identify, but I still enjoy seeing them.
Bored? Not at all, I love mosses, even though I can’t tell one species from another, even after your excellent post and photos!
In the summer, a moss covered area is usually cooler and a great place to take a break from fishing or hiking on a hot day. In the winter, as you say, they are some of the only green to be found once the snow begins falling.
It just so happens that a couple of weeks ago, I spent some quality time with a few species of moss and my Tokina macro lens. I don’t know what I photographed, just that the mosses were beautiful.
Thanks Jerry! I think most people find it hard to get very excited over mosses and I’m hoping that a post like this one every now and then might help change that. I love seeing them poking up through the snow in the winter and as you say, they know where the cool spots are in summer. I hope you’ll post what you saw with that macro lens!
The post with the mosses is coming, but it may be a while before I catch up to that one, I’m working on a Muskegon/waterfowl/falcon post right now.
That sounds like a good one too!
I just love your posts I read every word …..you are educating me well here ..keep it up… the pictures are brilliant they make me realise that I have to get down to their level …thanks
Thank you Sue. Right now when all the leaves have fallen off the understory shrubs and before the snow comes is the best time to search for mosses because they are so easy to see. I hope you find many that will surprise and please you!
No tears of boredom here! These are all so lovely and I agree with you about woodland walks in winter. I have loved mosses since I was a small girl crawling about tree roots and imagining fairy houses were there. I must go out and see how many different types I can find.
Thank you Clare. I’m glad to hear that there are others out there who enjoy mosses as much as I do. I learned much about air circulation and terrariums by trying to keep mosses growing in an old mayonnaise jar.
I’d bet that you’ll find many different mosses without having to go too far. They really are everywhere.
great post! I enjoy your blog very much even though I live in the Mid Atlantic.
Thank you Bev, I’m glad to hear it.
I love all of the different shapes. My yard has more moss than grass and it is very hearty. I like it because it is so soft to walk on.
And you don’t have to mow moss! Maybe you should call it a moss garden. They’re becoming very popular.
Loved the quotation, so true. Very interesting to read about all those mosses, they must make a great contrast to snow.
Thank you Sue. The mosses do keep the winter wearies at bay, especially in February.