Every spring I enjoy cruising past rock outcrops to see the mosses and lichens flourishing in the rain and sun after resting under the snow all winter. There is a huge variety of shapes, colours, forms and stages. I wish that I had noticed these little gems earlier in my life … and to have learned more about them. Here are some examples….
This is something different, an early spring flower seen on rocky outcrops, Pale Corydalis:
Back to the mosses, some with bursting spore capsules…
The water droplet always seems to cling to the bottom of the capsule. I wonder if there is some sort of special anatomy there to exploit that phenomenon?
An overwintering fern recharging with chlorophyll to start producing sugars again:
The chlorophyll is changing form in this Wintergreen leaf also …
Up really close to a British Soldier with my treasured Olympus 60 mm Macro lens:
Instead of labelling the above with IDs I thought I’d lead you to some internet references that I am using to learn more about mosses and lichens:
The first is the classic MOSSES AND LICHENS a popular guide to the identification and study of our commoner mosses and lichens, their uses, and method of preservation by Nina L Marshall 1919
You can download this book in pdf if you have high speed internet, a reasonably fast computer and some patience. The file size is 27.2 MB.
Or simply google: “Lichen (or moss) identification Ontario (or wherever)”
Have fun!
