Moss Madness
Since March moss has been a great subject for my camera. On the other hand it’s not been so good on my brain since I have a compulsion to ID everything I post. So far I managed to ID just one moss – Fire Moss was fairly easy because it has a red spore stalk that many others have photographed and posted on line. Sometimes I just posted a pic of a rock covered moss ‘garden’ and left it like that. But unfortunately some pics just demand I identify the subject. These are a few I haven’t been able to put a handle on.
April 9
This was a nice shot but I have no clue what it is.
I should get a couple of Field Guides. There is little help on the internet when you don’t know where to start and so little information on mosses seems to be out on the net.
April 10
Once again I have no idea what the name of this moss is. It covered up the bald top of the rock nicely but I’d be remiss if I called it Wig Moss.
April 15
There are too many look alikes and variations in the same plant make it hard to tell what this really is. I’ve seen enough spore capsules now to guess it might be a Polytrichum of some sort but I’d be a chump to say so with any certainty.
May 5
This one I’m will to go out on a limb for. I’m fairly sure it’s a Hair Cap Moss of some sort. Again there are conflicting pics out on the web so I can’t be positive on the species.
I’m almost certain it’s a Polytrichum – strictum, juniperinum, or commune My bet would be in that order but there’s a good chance none of them would show at the finish line.
click for 1024 x 769 size image for a closer look or to use as desktop wallpaper
Having moss on the mind is bad enough but soon I’ll have fungus on the brain too. Mushroom season is about to begin.
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May 7th, 2009 at 11:06 am
wow, what very unique collection of moss pictures. the first one i thought of a barrel cactus at first, it looked like its tip and about to bloom, but then of course, it is a moss
May 7th, 2009 at 11:59 am
I wish my yard was covered in moss. I love it. I am trying to grow some but it takes a long time to get it to fill in well. Also it needs watering everyday or more in the heat.
I have no idea what moss that is but it is beautiful.
I try to look up names on the net too but it is hard to do. You need a moss book to identify those(-:
May 7th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Your first NOID ( no ID) image is one I spotted the other day, too. I have been scouring Amazon for a good moss/lichen field guide, but the ones I’ve found are over $100! On a brighter note, the Live Country Joe McDonald album I’ve been looking for got cheaper!
May 7th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I feel like I’m looking at a sci-fi movie when I look at those close-ups.
May 7th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I don’t see much moss here in southern California, so thanks for the photos. I had no idea it bloomed like that! They do have a sci-fi feel to them. Very cool post. Glad I found you on Blotanical.
May 7th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Marvelous moss!
May 7th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
I know I’d never be able to figure out what this stuff is. When I need to know, I usually check with you. I usually take the attitude of look, but don’t try to figure out. Good pictures.
May 7th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
It is great to hear that you may not be able to name some of the mosses, this at least release the pressure on my ignorance as well.
Your last one is fantastic. They look like something ready to be barbecued.
May 7th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I have a book entitled Gathering Moss: a Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer. She is an associate professor at ESF and an expert on local mosses. She lists several moss identification guides: Mosses of Eastern North America by Crum & Anderson (1981). Good luck finding a moss identification guide–they are rare.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:13 am
Incredible pictures, yet again. I do so enjoy your blog! Also being a transplanted easterner (from NJ) to hot/dry S. Cal. I do sometimes miss the greener things in life. (I don’t miss the winter!)
July 9th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
http://books.google.com/books?id=czcVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=Mosses+%26+Lichens+1907+1st+by+Marshall+Moss&source=bl&ots=w9PslDHr1V&sig=B09v_GGN5Bfzti1pNtRJobKYcmg&hl=en&ei=jylWSpLZNIvUMrH2kZ0I&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
heres a book in the public domain–over 100 years old, full of pictures, illustrations, uses, and storage of lichens/mosses
google did a great job scanning it all…you can download a free PDF of the full book! do so now…its a great read