More often than not, mosses go unnoticed as they cling onto a tree, sit atop the bare ground, or sway with the current in a stream. Indeed, many mosses are small, inconspicuous, shriveled up masses of brown and black plant material when dry, tricking the unaware passerby into thinking they are nothing more than dead and decaying plants. It isn’t until a fresh rain comes along that we are then able to witness the moss transform into all of its glory, standing tall with its leaves fully hydrated and radiating its glorious green colors. Even those mosses that carpet a forest floor or dangle in all sorts of odd fashions from a tree branch are mistaken as another form of plant life.
The diversity found within the moss world is astounding, with an estimated 12,000 species worldwide, and roughly 330+ species known in Missouri. Much of the mosses diversity can be seen in the field when one learns what to look for. However, beautiful secrets remain to be discovered only under the lens of a microscope, and along with that, often their true identity. As they say, the devil is in the details.
Join Lorie Hetrick-Volenberg as she shows you the range of observable traits found in the moss world. She will teach you the basic terminology needed for moss talk, along with what in field characteristics to look for when starting to identify mosses. She will then share the ecological roles they may have in the various prairie systems of Missouri.
The webinar, to be held via Zoom, will include a presentation and a live question-and-answer session. Please register below at the link. The webinar will be recorded, with a link to the recording sent to all registrants as well as posted to the MPF YouTube channel.
Cost: Free
Register HereLorie Hetrick-Volenberg received a BS in Animal Science at the University of Illinois. She worked as a senior genetic research specialist at the Keck Center High Throughput Sequencing and Genotyping Laboratory Unit at the University of Illinois for 15 years. After moving to Missouri in 2015, she started working as a natural resource specialist for Missouri State Parks where she developed a great passion for bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts). She published a paper in 2021: Bryophytes of Graham Cave State Park and is currently working on a field identification guide for the mosses of Missouri. Lorie has also published a children’s book, Gramelda The Grasshopper: The Story Of How The Lichen Grasshopper Came To Be, which combines a whimsical story and fun educational materials to teach children about insects and two ecosystems in Missouri—tallgrass prairies and glades.
Photo of male Juniper Haircap Moss (Polytrichum juniperinum) gametophytes displaying their fancy red splash cups by Lorie Hetrick-Volenberg