Field Notes

Native Plant Society of Northeastern Ohio

Moss Workshop at West Woods

27 October 2018

by Lisa K. Schlag

photograph courtesy of Heather Paterniti

Learning About Mosses

Thank you Janet Traub and James Toppin of the Ohio Moss and Lichen Association for helping further our understanding of nature by sharing your knowledge and time with program participants on Saturday, 27 October 2018 at West Woods nature center.  Janet and Jim provided educational handouts and specimens that participants could take home for further study. The classroom session prepared us well for our field walk.

Ellen Brown-Armstrong's keen observation skills spotted something of interest on a boulder and with further inspection we learned it was grain-of-wheat moss, Diphyscium foliosum. Janet was delighted! Thank you Heather Paterniti for sharing your photographs and field footage of grain-of-wheat capsules releasing spores.

Each tab shows the moss specimens we studied during the program with links to additional photographs and information.

May curiosity be with you always,
Lisa K. Schlag

photograph courtesy of the Ohio Moss and Lichen Association

Atrichum undulatum var. altecristatum

wavy starburst moss

    What to look for:
  1. wavy leaves (ripples visible under hand lens)
  2. half way up leaf to tip, double teeth along leaf margin
  3. capsules form in fall and mature through winter
  4. forms large tufts
    Where to look:
  1. grows on soil, especially mounds, in forests along banks, trails, and roads

for additional photos and information, please visit:
Ohio Moss and Lichen Association

photograph courtesy of Bob Klips, Ohio Moss and Lichen Association

Thuidium delicatulum

common fern moss

    What to look for:
  1. green to yellowish-green moss
  2. fern-like branching (thrice-pinnate)
  3. forms deep cushions or mats
    Where to look:
  1. grows in moist shady places on soil, logs, stumps,and occasionally rocks

for additional photos and information, please visit:
Ohio Moss and Lichen Association


photograph courtesy of the Ohio Moss and Lichen Association

Sphagnum palustre

 

    What to look for:
  1. often light green to light brown
  2. good substrate for other plants
  3. red-tinged with sun exposure
    Where to look:
  1. wetlands, pools, and lake margins, wooded swamps, bogs and poor fens

for additional photos and information, please visit:
Ohio Moss and Lichen Association


photograph courtesy of the Ohio Moss and Lichen Association

Anomodon attenuatus

apron moss or poodle moss

    What to look for:
  1. thick apron on tree bases up to 1 or 2 ft. in height
    Where to look:
  1. grows on trees, limestone rocks, or concrete bridge abutments

for additional photos and information, please visit:
Ohio Moss and Lichen Association


photograph courtesy of the Ohio Moss and Lichen Association

Hypnum imponens

brocade moss

    What to look for:
  1. shiny leaves strongly curved (sickle-shaped)
  2. forms dense mats
    Where to look:
  1. grows on logs and/or on thin soil over acidic rocks

for additional photos and information, please visit:
Ohio Moss and Lichen Association


photograph courtesy of the Ohio Moss and Lichen Association

Fissidens taxifolius

yew-leaved fork moss

    What to look for:
  1. fairly small, dark green plants standing erect
  2. leaves arranged flat in two rows
  3. extra flap or pocket on lower part of leaves
  4. projecting tip at end of leaf
    Where to look:
  1. grows on bare soil in wooded areas (often on muddy soil of flood plains)

for additional photos and information, please visit:
Ohio Moss and Lichen Association


photograph courtesy of Bob Klips, Ohio Moss and Lichen Association

Dicranum scoparium

broom moss

    What to look for:
  1. glossy appearance
  2. curving, wiry leaves appearing to be swept to one side
    Where to look:
  1. grows on soil in open areas and clearings in forests
  2. often on bluffs above rivers or valleys

for additional photos and information, please visit:
Ohio Moss and Lichen Association

photograph and field footage courtesy of Heather Paterniti

Diphyscium foliosum

grain-of-wheat moss or nut moss

    What to look for:
  1. dull dark green to brownish leaves
  2. very short stemmed
  3. leaves surrounding capsules (perichaetial leaves) are longer and wiry in appearance
  4. forms tufts
    Where to look:
  1. grows on bare soil in forests, at base of tree roots, and occasionally on rocks

for additional photos and information, please visit:
Ohio Moss and Lichen Association