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Out of the brick!!!!!

There's some moss hiding up there too...

ferns, july 2025

metro atlanta, georgia, us

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Hi!!! I have been looking for mossheads on this site!! And specifically people who actually study bryophytes and know stuff!!!! Hi!!! Okay I’m normal. I’m someone who loves moss as a hobby I’m wondering if you have any recommendations for literature that will help me learn to ID actual species of moss? I know it’s challenging because there are thousands of species in North America alone but I’m wondering where to begin (without pursuing a degree in biology first). I have a hand lens and need to get a microscope but idk what books might be good guides for this kind of thing?

Bold of you to assume I know anything, but thank you. Moss is a stellar hobby keep it up!

Moss ID is incredibly difficult on the surface but once you get into it you may find (like I did) that they're not much more difficult than tricky vascular plants like grasses.

The trick with bryophytes is that they are just very small.

So you're already on the right track, you need something to make them big!

You would be shocked what you can achieve with just the hand lens, sometimes I don't even bother with putting them under a microscope unless I really have to.

anyways,

Literature

I'm going to assume you're in North America which works out because I'm in extra North America (Canada).

Here's a really brief reference list for ID in order of difficulty:

Field Key, British Bryological Society (PDF)

Moss Flora of the Maritime Provinces, Robert R. Ireland (PDF)

Key to the Moss Genera in North America North of Mexico, Flora of North America (link here!)

These are the few that I tend to gravitate towards first.

The first two are available as free pdfs on the internet. You'll have to search for them as linking directly to a pdf in a post may not be stable or secure!

The British key barely requires microscopy and is well illustrated, but lacks a glossary of terms... It's a free portion of a book that you can buy, theoretically. With that said, it's a really practical guide and contains the least technical jargon. They emphasize widespread species so it's quite useful almost anywhere you are. I just wouldn't trust things down to the species level unless you're 110% sure.

The Maritime Guide is completely illustrated and has a fantastic glossary that is also illustrated which blew my mind. Even if your area doesn't have much overlap with the Maritimes physically, this guide covers so much you'll probably find it useful. It's even stellar as just a dictionary for our last key.

The FNA or Flora of North America moss key. This key is stupidly technical and so hard to use. But it has everything (in NA), presumably. Proceed with caution, it will probably give you more than you need. Banging your head against it sucks BUT you will learn so much. This key uses a lot of microscope characteristics however. There is also a textbook like sheet describing fancy terms they use, its a pretty good read! It's... somewhere on the website. (and boring as all hell unless you really REALLY love moss)

Then there's supplemental information, for that I use mainly one text:

Bryophyte Ecology, Janice Glime, PhD: Link here

This is a giant ebook. It's completely free and it contains world class information. I am the biggest fan girl of Janice Glime, she rocks.

It's well over a gigabyte to download all volumes of this textbook. Volume 1 alone has over 1000 pages I believe. I use this effectively like my google for anything bryophyte related. Especially for morphology, ecology, or weird stuff like phenology (timing of growth).

They also include a LOT of information on the interactions with other species, like habitat for tardigrades.

Finding Better Sources

These may not work the best for you SO if you're on it, poke around on INaturalist. Look up "Bryophyta" in your area and see which ones have been identified. A lot of those people will be familiar with your area and some have extensive resource lists in their bios.

There are also many websites with local flora but they're often old and hard to find. I think Illinois has one? Oregon has a great one for Liverworts if you're feelin' fancy.

End

Consider this the first iteration of the "How to name those little green things that are all over the place". I would really like to put together a well organized guide for those who want to get started. But for now, this should help you! Anonymous person! At the very least.

Happy mossing, tag me in your finds!!!

That goes for everyone, tag me in moss you silly nature people.

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Who's this in the sidewalk crack?

why, it's Bryum argenteum!

This is one of the most common species of moss, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Meaning it occurs globally, in this case including Antarctica! You'll find this species most frequently in sidewalk cracks and around the places humans have built things.

Its highly recognizable with its frequent bluish (or blue-green) colouration!

Image Source | all others by me

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Moss posts will resume post haste

Hi, I just moved to a new city!

The bryophytes will come back soon.

Also, someone sent me a banger question which will become a much larger post SO if thats you I promise im not ignoring it.

toodles for now

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Thought you all might enjoy this graveyard lichen

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I love Sedum acre, even if it's an introduced species where I'm from!

Parking lot in Alberta Canada, June 2025

Sedum acre — goldmoss stonecrop a.k.a. biting stonecrop

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go outside there is moss near you.

find it

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(click for good quality)

Encalypta sp. (?)

Hanging out on a cliff

June 2025 , AB, Canada

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Cool example of a lichen turning green when wet, making it look a lot like moss. The colour shift can be pretty dramatic (white -> green, orange -> yellow-green, etc)

It can make entire trunks of trees erupt in a sea of green out of seemingly nowhere!

The surprising nature

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Grimmia sp.

On a gravestone!

Graveyards, especially old graveyards, are one of the best locations to look for bryophytes and lichens. The lack of major soil disturbance combined with a yard full of different types of rock leads to some surprising diversity!

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Rhizomnium sp.

Look, so leafy!

New pfp, the last one had too many fingers in it.

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Cladonia cliff

Ibigawa, Gifu, Japan

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You have no idea how funny that was to a bunch of nerds in a botany class when we made that connection too

Morphological differences between thorns, spines, and prickles

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bug

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Geranium richardsonii

This flower is usually completely white at first glance. However this white flower occasionally has purple veins on its petals. Which can be seen here!

AB, Canada, June 2025