There are so many amazing things to see in the forest, if you only slow down, look around, and pay closer attention.
Like the hairy cap moss (Polytrichum), with its little tiny sporophytes poking up from the green mossy gametophyte below.
We usually don’t think much about moss, beyond something that needs to be scraped off surfaces, that grows in place of lawns in shady areas, ….basically we either ignore it or try to get rid of it.
But if you stop and really look at moss, it’s a fascinating plant.
I frequently dig it out of our lawn and transplant it around our pond to cover the edges and soften the rocks.
The gametophyte (haploid form) of the moss is the form that what is typically seen. It is green, (photosynthetic) and lives for several years.
But if you stop and look closely, you’ll see the other form….
The diploid form of the plant is called a sporophyte and it grows out of the structure that produces the egg (the archegonium). It has a spore-producing structure with a stalk (often over 5 cm) elevating a spore producing capsule at its top. The elevation provided by the stalk allows the spores to be more easily dispersed by wind. Most moss capsules have one or two rings of teeth surrounding the opening of the capsule that can open and close, releasing spores under favourable (dry) conditions when they will be transported further by the wind.
So the next time you pass a moss plant, get a little closer and appreciate the finer structure and the elegant life history strategies that they use.
And then there are all the cool fungi that are natural recyclers of the forest…slowly and steadily decomposing fallen trees and branches, returning nutrients to the environment for reuse.
There may be many trees in the forest, but if you look closer, there are many more fascinating things living on and under them.
I was out in the Valley all day, but had to return a vehicle to the hatchery where I started out this morning. I could have taken it home last night, but then I would have missed my morning and afternoon walks through the forest, and I am appreciating them deeply these days.
They give me time to breathe and change my focus.
