One of the things that I like about this time of year is how the all the mosses are suddenly so easy to see, so this is when I go visiting them. Mosses call to me and make me want to know more about what I’m seeing, so I’ve been studying them for a few years. If a scene like the one in the above photo gets your blood pumping, this post is for you. I’ve been both wanting to do it and dreading it for a while now. If you’ve ever tried to identify mosses I’m sure you understand.
Delicate fern moss (Thuidium delicatulum) changes from deep green to lime green when it gets cold and then eventually becomes one of the more visible mosses. It grows in soil in shaded spots and I find it in my lawn each fall. It will also grow on the base of trees and on logs and boulders. It forms quite dense mats as can be seen in the above photo. Orchid growers use this moss in orchid cultivation.
This moss growing on the base of a tree almost had me fooled into thinking that it was tree skirt moss (Anomodon attenuates) but a closer look has me believing that it must be rambling tail moss (Anomodon viticulosus) instead. This moss is too long to be tree skirt moss, I think, and its habit of growing out away from the trunk isn’t right for that moss either. The main stems of rambling tail-moss are said to be creeping with blunt ends like a paintbrush, and they arch upward when dry like a hook. That and their yellow green color are what lead me to choose Anomodon viticulosus, but I could be wrong.
Common haircap moss (Polytrichum commune) is one of the most common and also one of the largest mosses in this area, and that makes them easy to identify and study. I find them growing in soil just about everywhere I go.
Last year I found a blue haircap moss spore capsule but this year the best I could do was salmon pink. These capsules are rectangular in shape with corners and often sunken sides as the photo shows. The light colored ring on its end is called a peristome and has 64 tiny teeth around its inside diameter, which is measured in micrometers. The teeth can’t be seen in this photo and neither can the cap, called a calyptra, which protects the spores and in this instance is hairy, and which is what gives this moss its common name. When the spores are ready to be released the calyptra falls off and the spores are borne on the wind.
Red penny moss (Rhizomnium punctatum) is a very small but leafy moss that was renamed from Mnium punctatum. I find it growing in deep shade in the soaking wet soil of seeps. It is a forest moss but only in very wet areas that don’t easily allow kneeling for a photo.
On male red penny moss plants in the center of the leaf rosettes are what look like tiny blackberries. These are actually the antheridia, which are where the sperm is produced. When mature the sperm will wait for a rainy day and then will swim to a female plant. Once fertilized the female plant will produce spores and send them off on the wind.
It looks like apple mosses (Bartramia pomiformis) are growing white whiskers for winter. Do they always do this, I wonder? Maybe I’ve just never noticed, but since this is one of the easier to see mosses I don’t know how I could have missed it. I’ve looked in my moss books and on line and can’t find another example with white tips, but on this day I saw many. This moss gets its common name from its spherical spore capsules that some say look like tiny green apples.
In her book Gathering Moss author Robin Wall Kimmerer tells of an experiment where chipmunks were coaxed into running over some sticky paper. When the paper was examined it was found to have thousands of moss spores stuck to it, so if you’ve ever wondered how mosses get 100 feet up in the tree tops thank a chipmunk, because the spores stick to their feet. And squirrel’s feet too, I’m guessing. Of course, wind and rain also carry spores so rodents don’t have to do all the work. The above photo is of tiny green moss islands I found on the trunk of a tree, and I think it shows the spores just becoming recognizable plants. I wish I’d seen that lichen on the right with rose colored apothecia when I took this photo. It’s a beauty.
I think the moss islands in the previous photo will turn into something like this clump of crispy tuft moss (Ulota crispa.) This moss is very common on tree trunks in these parts and I see it all the time. When dry its leaves tighten and curl. This clump was about an inch across.
Some mosses are so animal like they make you want to reach out and pet them. This broom moss (Dicranum scoparium) is one of those that I had to touch before I left it. This moss grows on stone, wood or soil in sunnier places and it’s common here.
Another very beautiful moss is rose moss (Rhodobryum roseum,) shown here growing against the dark shine of a dog lichen (Peltigera membranacea) on a boulder. Each little rosette of leaves looks like a tiny flower, and that’s how it comes by its common name. Rose moss is a good indicator of limestone in the soil so it’s wise to look for other lime loving plants when it is found. Many native orchids for instance, fall into that category.
The name medusa moss (Hedwigia ciliata) comes from the way this moss looks like a bunch of tangled worms when it dries out. It is also called white tipped moss, for obvious reasons. This moss is fairly common and I find it mostly growing on stones in sunny spots. It always seems to be very happy and healthy.
This is the first time this moss has appeared on this blog because I’ve only just found it. I think it might be a moss called river foxtail moss (Brachythecium rivulare) which is said to have a whitish cast. I found it growing in shade on a stone shelf where it was watered by constantly dripping ground water; exactly the habitat that river foxtail moss likes.
This moss was growing right beside the one in the previous photo but even though I tried several times it was simply too small to get a sharp photo of. Instead over and over the camera focused on the tiny water droplets that decorated it like Christmas ornaments, so that’s what I’ll show here. Everything seen in this photo would easily fit on a penny (.75 inches.)
Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find them. ~William Wordsworth
Thanks for stopping in.
Well done for identifying all those mosses. I imagine it was a difficult job. This post reminds me to stop and look because beauty is often hidden in tiny things.
Thanks! Yes, mosses can be tough to identify, but they’re always a pleasure to see!
Thank you, wonderful!
Thank you Deb!
Wonderful photos. I’m tempted to try a moss lawn in some very shady spots but I’m afraid it doesn’t have enough consistent moisture.
Thanks! Most mosses will just hang out and be dry until it rains without suffering any damage, but some of them do change their appearance quite drastically between wet and dry.
Beautiful mosses! Here now they are all white.
They were the same here this morning after some snow showers!
When I read this, I smiled – “If a scene like the one in the above photo gets your blood pumping, this post is for you.”
You made me stop and let go of all the silly, irritating voices of people and remember it is so important to focus your eye and your heart on what you love.
The photos of the mosses are splendid and your enthusiasm is contagious! Not that I could tell a moss from a liverwort…
Thanks Martha. It’s not hard to get excited over anything green right now!
I’m glad I reminded you to focus on what you love. I certainly agree with that philosophy and that’s why I spend so much time in the woods!
An education for the mind and a delight for the eye.
Thank you. I learn a lot from these posts too.
You have found a really lovely and interesting selection of different mosses, Allen. You are right that at this time of year they come into their own. When we walk in the local woods their green-ess really stands out against the greys and browns of the woodland floor.
Thank you Clare. Yes, and you should see them against the white snow. That’s when I especially like to see them.
Very beautiful I’m sure.
The mosses really stand out at this time of year and while I love seeing them, I’ve never attempted to identify them. It is posts like this that make following your blog such a pleasure as well as being educational. Thank you!
Thanks very much Eliza. Most of the mosses you’ll see on this blog are those that are relatively easy to identify. Without a microscope most are challenging but some, like rose moss, have a unique appearance that makes them very easy. Even if I can’t identify them I still appreciate their beauty!
Remarkable how they keep growing in the cold weather. Some are so lovely and soft-looking.
I’m not sure if they grow or just remain green in winter, but they’re nice to see on a cold winter day. And some, like carpet moss, are very soft.
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays and commented:
They are all very pretty, Allen. Lovely shots taken. Thank you for sharing your part of the world with us, Allen. Happy Weekend. Namaste
You’re welcome Agnes, and thank you. Happy weekend to you too!
Our local wet weather is greatly beloved by mosses. In fact I imagine their Number One commandment would be, “Thou shalt rain.” 🙂
Yes, they soak it up like sponges.
Wow. You have just added several hours to my next stroll thru the woods. You do a great job illustrating your copy with photos. Great stuff.
Thanks very much Judy. There’s nothing better than a slow stroll through the woods!
My favorite has to be the rose moss but they are all fascinating.
Thanks! Mosses really are fascinating!
Like you, I love mosses! Unlike you, my patience wears thin quickly when attempting to identify the different species. I have been becoming aware that there are far more species of them than I had thought just a few years ago. I thought that the slightly different appearance of some was due to growing conditions or the time of year, I should have known better. Thanks for enlightening me as to how varied the moss species are.
You’re welcome Jerry! That’s a good point. One of my moss ID books has over 380 pages, and these are just the common mosses.
Wikipedia says that there are approximately 12,000 species of mosses, and you don’t know how glad I am that I don’t have to identify them! It’s tough, especially without a microscope.
Sadly mosses aren’t my thing but your artistic eye always makes your pictures a pleasure to look at as an end in itself. I liked the Wordsworth quote.
Thank you Susan. Like lichens and liverworts I know that mosses aren’t for everyone, but they’re everywhere and hard to ignore. You won’t see many posts on them though, because moss posts are among the hardest to do.
Lots of great finds. The broom moss does beg to be petted, is it as soft as is looks? While it isn’t a great image of the moss, the last photo really is pretty.
Thank you Laura. No, the broom moss actually felt kind of coarse but it sure looks soft.
I’m not sure why my camera had such a time with that last shot, but all it cared about were the water droplets. Maybe I should have tried brushing them away.