With all the rain we have out here in Oregon, we also have a lot of moss. It carpets forest floors, grows in marshes, hangs from trees, engulfs boulders, and grows on our roofs. It’s a wonder it doesn’t grow on Oregonians. Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a familiar and fond flora to me, and this Spring I have enjoyed observing some of the different kinds. Apparently there are many. I took a series of close-up shots to show off the variety in color and texture of this often overlooked member of the plant kingdom. If you take the time to stoop down and really look, you’ll find a whole miniature world down there on the ground.
Mosses are marvelous!
This last one is not a moss, but a Lungwort Lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria.)
I threw it in for the intricate texture, and because I think that lungworts are lovely.
I LOVE moss!!
And I think it would be cool if it grew on people 🙂
If anyone I know could be in tune with the spirit of the forest enough to grow moss, it would be you and Jeff! 🙂
So beautiful, I like moss very much and also fern.
Heike
it blows me away that people will put "moss out" on their lawns around here. i was floored when i learned of that- i would think that would be the ultimate "lawn" to have- one full of moss! i think it is absolutely gorgeous. and your lichen picture is a hopeful sign- when they are white it's an indicator of air pollution, but green ones mean healthy air! that species i read only grows on trees over 100 years old, so it also indicates a healthy old growth stand. yay!
I had heard that somewhere about lichens, and it is good news to hear this confirmed by you Mary Beth! It is from a little stand of old growth on a fork of the Siuslaw River up in the mountains near our home. These nice green lichens were all over the place, so this must be a very healthy stand!
They really are beautiful.
I also like lichens. Wonderful stuff!
xxx
I love bryophytes and old growth forests!! I did my graduate research on old growth in our region (NWPA), though there's not much old growth left here. And unfortunately what we do have left has been endangered by different non-indiginous species (plant, fungus, and insects). I have friends out in Portland and I keep saying I want to come out to visit them. The more of your wonderful pictures I see, the more I want to go west!
Just beautiful photos – I also enjoy working with moss and just enjoying its beauty.
Warm wishes, Tonya
Do you do an mushroom foraging? My partner and I recently started with morels and have found it to be great fun. OR is supposed to be loaded with the fugus!
Most definitely! Since moving to Oregon, I have slowly become a mushroom fanatic. I grew up picking morels in the field behind my house, and have never found them anywhere I've lived since. But, chanterelles are abundant here, as well as boletes, hedhehogs and a whole array of others. When I do find morels again, I'm going to be ecstatic!