With little else in the plant world to explore at the moment, this is a good time to appreciate these durable little plants which were amongst the first to colonise the land surface and have survived as a group for half a billion years.
These are a few species from my neck of the woods....
Thuidium tamariscinum (Common Tamarisk Moss), growing in woodland
Plagiomnium undulatum (Hart's tongue Thyme-moss), another woodland species
Homalothecium sericeum, Silky Wall Feather moss, common on shaded tops of dry stone walls
Fissidens bryoides, Lesser Pocket-moss, often found on clay soils on ditch banks
Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Big Shaggy-moss, on a woodland edge
Hypnum cupressiforme,Cypress-leaved Plait-moss, with spore capsules, often on tree branches and rotting logs
Hypnum cupressiforme,Cypress-leaved Plait-moss - the leaves are curved inwards so the shoots look as though they're plaited.
Plagiomnium affine, Many-fruited Thyme-moss, has unusually large leaves. Growing here on the shady banks of an beck running through Hamsterley Forest.
Polytrichum commune,Common Haircap, growing in a wet hollow on open moorland.
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Springy-turf moss, often in poorly drained grassland
Pseudoscleropodium purum, Neat Feather-moss, grows in grassland and has stout shoots that look as though they've been inflated.
Sphagnum sp., Bog moss, which forms peat bogs
The Mosses and Liverworts of Britain and Ireland: a Field Guide, published by the British Bryological Society is an excellent guide to identifying our moss flora.
For more mosses, click here
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