Burned Out Bonfire-moss
This is Bonfire-moss (Funaria hygrometrica) which has now come to its end leaving this deep red colour. Rear garden, Staffordshire, England. June 2017.
Tag: Mosses
Macro Forest
In my back garden I have an old sundial which I bought over twenty years ago when I first moved in to my house. Most folk might scrape or scrub off the lichen and moss which grows on it, but I love the effect it gives. It gives it more of a rustic charm, and… Read More Macro Forest
The Wet, The Dry And The New
These are all images of the same species of moss growing on my garage roof. In its hydrated form it is fresh and vibrant with its leaves open as in the above image. In these images it is dry to getting hydrated. It is quite amazing to watch how moss instantly gathers water when but… Read More The Wet, The Dry And The New
Moss On The Roof
Intermediate Screw-moss (Syntrichia intermedia) My garage roof has steadily succumbed to a covering of this wonderful moss over the years, which makes it look a lot more interesting than just covered in tiny white shards of gravel. I decide to get the ladders out and have a close look-see, and amidst the open shoots which… Read More Moss On The Roof
Redshank Moss
Ceratodon purpureus A variable species of moss which form cushions or patches which vary in colouration from yellow to mid-green through red to purplish brown. The reddish-brown capsules are fairly common. It occurs on a wide range of acidic and well-drained substrates. It is frequent in heathland and acidic grassland, on walls and roofs, and… Read More Redshank Moss
Great Hairy Screw-moss
Syntrichia ruralis subsp. ruralis This is a bright, golden green moss which forms loose cushions or extensive tufts which are 1-2cm high. The leaves are 4-6mm long, blunt-tipped with a long excurrent silvery hair-like point. When moist the leaves strongly curve away from the stem giving the shoot a star-like appearance. Capsules are rare. Found… Read More Great Hairy Screw-moss
Intermediate Screw-moss
Syntrichia intermedia I have had this moss growing on my garage roof for years, and it has virtually covered all of it. It shrivels up to a brown crisp in very dry weather, and yet as soon as a drop of rain falls it immediately expands like a sponge and greens up. A dull green… Read More Intermediate Screw-moss
Lesser Bird’s-claw Beard-moss
Barbula convoluta This is a bright, yellow-green moss which forms cushions or tufts on substrates. The shoots are around 0.5-2cm high and have spreading leaves. The leaves are up to 1.5mm long and have a shortly tapered tip. Capsules are rare, but when they do occur they are usually in abundance. The leaves around the… Read More Lesser Bird’s-claw Beard-moss
Common Feather-moss
Kindbergia praelonga This moss has regularly branched, roughly triangular pinnate shoots 1-2cm long. Robust woodland forms have bi- to tripinnate patterns and are larger. Stem leaves are 1-5mm long, and differ in shape from branch leaves. The stem leaves are triangularly heart-shaped with a fine elongated tp which often turns outwards. Branch leaves are about… Read More Common Feather-moss
Catherine’s Moss
Atrichum undulatum Also called ‘Common Smoothcap’, this is a robust and distinctive species of moss. It has dark green, narrow pointed leaves up to 1cm long on stems which can grow up to 7cm long. The leaf margins have paired teeth, and are distinctly undulate when moist, crisp when dry. Spore capsules are 3-4mm long… Read More Catherine’s Moss
About Mosses And Liverworts
Mosses and liverworts are plants which belong to a group called the Bryophytes, which are the oldest land plants on earth and have been around for some 400 million years. Bryophytes’ are tiny plants which are mainly green in colour and are flowerless, and which reproduce by spores and/or by asexual gemmae or tubers. There… Read More About Mosses And Liverworts
Springy Turf-moss
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus This moss forms dense tufts or mats, has distinctive red stems, and the way the shoots bend backwards gives the moss a star-like appearance. Fruiting is very rare. Found on damp grass and banks in woodland, by streams and in marshes, and often in lawns. Common and widespread. Photographs of Springy Turf-moss (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus)… Read More Springy Turf-moss
Smaller Lattice-moss
Cinclidotus fontinaloides I came across this moss on a bank near my local river. Sadly, after some development work to the canal nearby, this has now all been buried. It is a dark green robust moss which branches little, has somewhat of a trailing nature, with 2-15cm long shoots which bear 4mm long leaves that… Read More Smaller Lattice-moss
Thickpoint Grimmia
Schistidium crassipilum Thickpoint Grimmia grows in rounded cushions or flat patches 1-3cm high. It usually looks quite hoary due to a hair point at the tip of the leaves. The capsules are largely hidden by the leaves that sheath them, but are reddish-brown, elongate and cylindrical. This moss prefers calcareous walls, and can be found… Read More Thickpoint Grimmia
On top of The Old Sundial
Photograph of Wall Screw-moss (Tortula muralis), taken September 2016, rear garden , Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
