Mosses and Liverworts

It's true that I can scarcely imagine why you wouldn't want to choose mosses. They're like a tiny secret world that goes unnoticed...

CC image by Vaelta

...and if you're the sort of person that likes squinting down a microscope at little green jewels, mosses and liverworts could be just for you. They have a reputation for living in very damp places, but many do not, so you can easily collect a wealth of species from easily accessible places like lawns, walls and woodland.

Although their small size has usually led them to be beneath notice culturally, they're hugely important ecologically - they make up the world's peatlands and are responsible for storing massive amounts of carbon. Others festoon the rainforests, while hardy species inhabit the harsh conditions of the tundra. They have a large role in nutrient cycling. Some are pioneers, colonising fresh territory like bare or burnt ground or volcanic ash - gradually helping to form soil and create habitats where other plants can grow. They can tolerate periods of drying out and form a protective crust to the earth in arid areas. In bogs they increase the acidity of the environment, which is actually to their advantage - only specialised plants can grow alongside Sphagnum. Plus mosses provides habitat for many tiny invertebrates on land and in freshwater. And they can be used as environmental indicators. You've got to be impressed.

Sphagnum isn't always green. CC image by Anne Burgess.

I won't lie - they're not the easiest option. They're not something you can leave until the last minute because it does require some time and effort to get to grips with the keys and terminology. You can identify many common species with a good hand lens and the right key. But to confirm your suspicions (and to truly appreciate their weird beauty) you'll want access to dissecting and light microscopes - which is fine, because you are welcome to use the ones in OJ17.

Yet they have their advantages: they're around throughout the autumn and winter, so you can start your collecting and identifying early. They're easy to carry and you'll soon end up with more species than you can deal with (which is not a bad thing).

They're also easy to preserve. You can put them straight into little packets in the field, open them to dry when you get home, and then they will keep almost indefinitely. They revive beautifully with the addition of water. (In fact, I love watching them unfurl under the microscope).

And another advantage is that both I and Dave M are fans of them and can be expected to express enthusiam should you show some yourself.

Liverwort images are CC licensed from George Shepherd, Ken-Ichi Ueda, Luis Mada.

Here are some books and resources for moss identification, and for collecting, labelling and presenting them.

 This link will bring up all posts tagged with 'mosses' (including any extra thoughts I've had recently and any new resources I find).

Technically mosses and liverworts have traditionally been dealt with together as 'bryophytes', but genetic studies have shown they're rather unrelated. Now only mosses are 'bryophytes', and liverworts are 'marchantiophyta' - different phyla. But if you want to collect and identify both that will be fine - you just need to be clear about your labelling! Liverworts are, if anything, even more weird and wonderful than their mossy counterparts.