The Miniature World of Mosses and Lichens

With so much to take in visually at the Arboretum, the miniature plants right at our feet are often overlooked. One day, I ran into a couple with their grandchildren. They had magnifying glasses in their hands and they said they were on a “treasure hunt” to find moss. What a great idea!

At first glance, mosses and lichens look like just patches of gray or green that can be found on trees, rocks, or the ground. Upon closer inspection, however, you will discover these fascinating plants are Lilliputian, almost from alien-like worlds. Next time you visit the Arboretum, bring a magnifying glass, your macro camera lens or extension tubes, and hunker down to get a closer look.
 

Mosses, hornworts, and liverworts are bryophytes, which are non-vascular plants that produce spores, rather than flowers and seeds. They are often seen in damp, shady areas. Lichens are not related to mosses, although they are sometimes found together. Lichens are usually gray or green-gray, and have a drier look, whereas moist mosses are varying shades of green, gold, or reddish-brown and have a softer, appearance.

Here are some of areas of the Arboretum where you can find mosses and lichens:

• The Fernery is one of the best places to view mosses. Crouch down to get close and really appreciate these tiny plants.
• The Japanese Overlook Garden has mosses and lichens on several rocks, as well as on some trees, and the Japanese Hill Garden has a lovely moss carpet.
• Look for mosses and lichens on the walls of the grotto (below the Mercury Loggia), on the stone seat bridge by the Sculpture Garden, in the shady areas of the Rose Garden rock wall, and on Lydia’s Seat (the hidden stone seating area above the Rose Garden).
• Take a look up instead of down this time and you’ll find moss on the roof of the Log Cabin.
• If you have children with you, have them look for mosses and lichens at the Garden Railway. They may find lichens on some stones, or moss is used to look like grass in front of some of the little houses. Mosses are great for miniature displays like fairy gardens and railways.

For more information, look for books such as Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians and Common Lichens of Northeastern North America: A Field Guide, or websites such as Oregon State University’s web page on basic moss biology. The Arboretum sometimes has classes on moss. On October 16, a field trip, the Mosses of Fulshaw Craeg Preserve offers an excellent opportunity to identify and learn more about mosses and liverworts. Register today.

Article and photos contributed by Kristen Bower, Guest Garden Blogger for Morris Arboretum

5 Fun Facts about Fungi!

Fungi are some of the most overlooked organisms, despite making up 25% of the world's biomass and having an estimated 1.5 to 5 million species on Earth.

Did you know...

1. Fungi are more closely related to Animals than to Plants
2. Only 2-6% of all fungi on Earth have been discovered and named
3. 95% of all plants rely on fungi for efficient nutrient uptake
4. Bakers yeast is a fungus and a distant cousin of truffles
5. Fungi don't require sunlight to grow

Intrigued? Learn more in our upcoming class, Fungi and Plants: A Love-Hate Relationship, on April 28, 2015.  Register Online Today

Longtime Botanist Retires From Morris Arboretum

Today, in a world that revolves around technology, one of Ann Rhoads’ greatest pleasures is taking her grandchildren for woodland walks. As someone whose career has involved spending a significant amount of time outdoors, Ann has always encouraged people of all ages to appreciate and take pleasure in the natural world. In January, Ann retired from a long and prolific career at the Morris Arboretum. Ann served as Director of Botany at the Arboretum from 1976 to 2000, at which time she stepped back to the position of Senior Botanist in order to allow now Director Tim Block to assume the position.

An expert in the flora of Pennsylvania, Ann and former Arboretum Director, Bill Klein, built on work initiated in the 1930s by Edgar T. Wherry by creating the Flora of PA database. Today the database holds approximately 400,000 specimen records from the major Pennsylvania herbaria. During her tenure, the botany department at the Morris Arboretum also produced several important books.  In 1993, The Vascular Flora of PA, Annotated Checklist and Atlas by Rhoads and Klein was published by the American Philosophical Society.  The Plants of Pennsylvania, An Illustrated Manual by Rhoads and Block, first published in 2000 by the University of Pennsylvania Press, has proven to be a valuable resource both within and outside the state. A second edition, incorporating recent taxonomic changes, was published in 2007. Trees of Pennsylvania appeared in 2005, and Aquatic Plants of Pennsylvania was released in 2011.

Ann has also taught and mentored students through the years both at the Morris Arboretum--supervising or co-supervising the Plant Protection and Pennsylvania flora interns, and as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where she taught Plant Systematics and Field Botany.  An active spokesperson for environmental issues, Ann was instrumental in drawing attention to the issue of deer overabundance and its severe impact on the structure and composition of Pennsylvania’s forests and natural areas. She has served on statewide committees and developed reports to help educate the public about the importance of this issue.

Even though she is retiring from the Arboretum, Ann says she will continue to expand her knowledge of plants, and will still be involved at the Arboretum, helping out in botany and maybe even writing another book.  In the meantime, her message not only for her grandchildren, but for all of us is a simple one- “Get out into the woods!”