{"id":10,"date":"2026-04-03T14:41:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T18:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/mux300-rworth\/?page_id=10"},"modified":"2026-05-04T23:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T03:35:18","slug":"plant-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/mux300-rworth\/plants\/plant-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Pincushion Moss"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Every plant has a story, and every creature has a story about plants. <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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The story of a measly moss<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

“There is an ancient conversation going on between mosses and rocks, poetry to be sure. About light and shadow and the drift of continents. This is what has been called the “dialect of moss on stone – an interface of immensity and minuteness, of past and present, softness and hardness, stillness and vibrancy, yin and yan” – Robin Kimmerer, Gathering Moss<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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The familiar friend moss. It is ancient, yet adaptable. Every patch of moss has a story. Pincushion Moss will often be disrupted by a cunning crow, perhaps a scampering squirrel, and it will roll. Once the patch of greenery stops it will put down its rhizoids (roots) and establish a new tuft. They are common along rock ledges, bark, fallen logs, and on the forest floor. They will often be the first plant you see growing after a forest fire, volcanic eruption, or other natural disaster. And this resilience is how measly moss could inhabit the most treacherous habitat of early Earth. Mosses are 460 million years old and were one of the first land plants, and slowly made the land more habitable for other species.They triggered a major change is Earth’s carbon cycle because they could photosynthesize. Soon after more complex animals evolved and diversity blossomed. Now moss faces a new challenge: global climate change. These plants can act as carbon sinks, but when will it be too much? The mosses remember that this is not the first time the glaciers have melted, and they will persist even amiss the sixth mass extinction event. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sourced: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On an early Monday morning I woke up for a long day of work. As I arrived, the breeze felt just right. The sun drifted across the canopy. I was in need for a walk. Scanning a small wooded path I came across a patch of the softest moss. I lowered my body and felt the surface. It was cool, spongey, and left my hand wet. I imagined all the small creatures who call this very patch home. Moving forward I observed more moss, now on the side of a large boulder, and even more laying on the forest floor. It was interesting how it seemed to warrant being stepped on. You could see small patches that were grazed on by small herbivores. Lifting up a whorl, a small pillbug pops up and disappears under the mound. As I perch a curious millipede zipped across the shiny tufts, perhaps in search for shelter. UnderI urge you to sit and caress a small patch of moss. Your problems feel minuscule, and the world so vast. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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To understand the intricacies of moss. To feel the tenderness and love these plants offer, we can draw them. Explore this conversation. Welcome to my digital field guide!<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Click the plus sign and explore the parts of this plant! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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