01/08/2021
Bright green mosses and old stone bridges are among the many things that draw me back to lush wilderness spaces like Acadia time and time again.
You have probably seen mosses at some point in your life, but what do you know about them?
Mosses are a non-vascular plant which means they lack the tissues that many other plant species use to transport water and nutrients from roots to stems and leaves. Without vascular tissues, mosses do not have the support structure to grow tall like many other plants, and instead grow flat and low to the ground. Mosses also use spores to reproduce, and their life strategy is opportunistic which allows them to grow on rocks, trees, and along stream beds.
In addition to mosses being beautiful to look at, we should also care about them because they provide many important roles in the health of an ecosystem. For example, moss is great at retaining water after rainfall, and when things dry out, moss provides extra moisture that it slowly releases into the ecosystem. Moss also contributes to stabilizing soil by reducing soil erosion in areas where it grows. Beyond that, moss acts as shelter for small animals like shrews and mice, while also providing a food source for many of the smaller creatures in the forest, like slugs.
If anyone wants to read further I have provided a NPS Link below.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/moss-of-acadia-national-park.htm
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