One of the benefits of having an extremely untidy garden is the biodiversity that develops within it. At this time of year, it can seem that there's not much of interest out there, but take a closer look and it's amazing just how much variety and inspiration is present. This week, I set myself the challenge of finding all the different types of moss that I could and was surprised just how much our small urban garden could offer, along with the challenges and joys involved in identifying and drawing it.
One of the first mosses that I found was the wall screw-moss (Tortula muralis). It was partially covering a stone and covered in sporophytes. Sporophytes are the fruiting generation of the moss, which is formed by a stalk-like structure called a seta, with a capsule at the end. The identification book that I was using described the capsules on this moss as 'like upright chillis' and I think this was a very fitting description. I was so taken by the form of these sporophytes that I sketched them in ink (above) and again in mixed media (bottom of page).
Tortula muralis is at home in urban areas and walls and, when I looked, I found it in many places on the south-facing side of the house.
Another moss that I found on the sunnier side of the house, was the springy turf-moss (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus). This moss runs through a large portion of the lawn and is very haphazard and spiky-looking. Indeed, it apparently also has the name 'electrified cat's tail moss', although I worry slightly for the mind that came up with that one!
Springy Turf-moss (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus)
The other moss found at the front of the house is, what I believe to be, Tortula truncata. It looked very non-descript when I first saw it on the path, however, when I took a photo and saw the little empty capsules looking like little orange cups, set against the lime green leaves, I resolved to always look at moss more closely before deciding it wasn't a complete treasure.
Around the back of the house, which is much more shaded, I found a greater range of moss. I think the moss found growing around a concrete planter, was a Brachythecium and possibly the one known as the rough-stalked feather moss. I found several examples of this type of moss in planters around garden and found it very difficult to identify with any certainty due to the number of similar mosses and my lack of experience.
Possibly rough-stalked feather-moss (Brachythecium rutabulum)
One of the wettest flower beds in the garden and one that's been flooded regularly this winter, showed several mossed growing on it's surface. The very spiky one with long, slender leaves is possibly Polytrichium commune, a lover of wet places, that can grow into quite a bushy form.
One of the favourite mosses that I found was present on the north-facing windowsills. I identified it as grey-cushioned grimmia (Grimmia pulvinata) as it has very distinctive long grey hairs and short sporophytes. I've always loved mosses that form little cushions, and this one is just gorgeous.
The capillary thread moss (Bryum capillare) was another favourite find. Again, it's forms a neat cushion, but this one has little nodding heads to the sporophytes. If you click on the images in the gallery below, you can see these more clearly. I loved the colours of this moss and so enjoyed completing a mixed-media sketch using watercolour, ink and coloured pencil.
Bryum capillare was found all along the edge and in patches across a roof-felted wooden storage box. The anomalous bristle-moss (Orthotrichum anomalum) was also present here, and is called anomalous as it grows on rocks and walls, rather than on wood like the other bristle-mosses.
Capillary Thread Moss (Bryum capillare) along with Anomalous Bristle-moss (Orthotrichum anomalum).
A nearby wooden grow-house also had moss growing on the edge, but this wasn't producing sporophytes and so was more difficult to identify. The leaves looked like those of Bryum capillare and so I tentatively identified it as this.
I was delighted by the different forms of the mosses that I found. I wasn't expecting them to be so varied and so pretty. Wanting to experiment with this, I made a very quick sketch of some of my favourites on some watercolour squares. The Tortula muralis is the winner for me, with it's curved seta and chilli-shaped capsules.
A selection of the equipment used to help me identify the mosses. Much of this was purchase from the NHBS website.
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