A patch of bryophytes growing on the vertical surface of a tree trunk. The bark runs almost vertically through the image, fairly smooth with a few ridges, with the colony sitting slightly raised from it. At the centre is a small cushion of moss, bright green, forming a loose tuft about the width of a thumbnail. Several pale, straw-coloured and hairy appearing capsules project outward on thin yellowish stalks, leaning away from the cushion in different directions, giving a slightly untidy, starburst appearance. Threaded through and beneath the moss is a leafy liverwort forming a thin, flattened mat that clings tightly to the bark. The shoots creep along the surface, branching irregularly. The leaves are small and overlapping, giving a tiled appearance, with rounded lobes that create a slightly scalloped edge to the mat. The moss sits slightly proud of the surface, while the liverwort hugs it closely, filling the spaces between bark ridges and around the base of the moss cushion. The surrounding bark is mottled brown and grey, with patches of lichen and other tiny growths, creating a layered community on the trunk.
A rather busy bit of bark…
I think this might be an Ulota (tree pincushion moss), with Dilated Scalewort (Frullania dilatata) alongside.
Devon, yesterday.
#moss #liverwort #bryophytes