Common Wall Mosses

Tortula muralis, Wall Screw-moss.  On a wall on Station Hill, Hayes, 2 March 2016.

There are some pretty mossed on the low walls near my house.  These are all common mosses, and it was interesting to see the differences in general appearance and the types of their spore capsules.

They all have names in the vernacular, but these cannot really be called "common" names because they were all invented very recently and no-one actually knows them without looking them up in a book.  It's generally safer to stick to the scientific names.  But I have included the vernacular names anyway, mostly because I hae looked them up!

These mosses mostly grow in the cracks between the bricks or stones.  This might be because they like the alkaline mortar, or because they find water is retained better there, or both.

Bryum capillare, Capillary Thead-moss. On a wall on Station Hill, Hayes, 2 March 2016.

Ypu can see that the capsules on this moss are very different to the first.  That helps a lot in identification!  They tend to grow close together or even mixed up, and here you can see two small clumps of a third type of moss, one that keeps its capsules on low stems that curve back into the greenery.  Here's a larger clump of that one:

Grimmia pulvinata, Grey-cushioned Grimmia.  On a low brick wall on Bourne Way, Hayes.  17 February 2016.

I think the name inventors were running out of steam when they got to this one.  Anyway, you can see that it does actually make a greyish cushion, specially when it is a bit dry.  You can only just see the capsules nestling in with the leaves.

Brachythecium rutabulum, Rough-stalked Feather-moss.  On a low brick wall on Bourne Way, Hayes.  16 February 2016.

This one has quite a different style, with distinct branching stems.  The capsules are already dry.  I would expect a moss like this to need a wetter environment, as it can't ball up into a protective clump when it dries out, and doesn't have an outer layer of bristles, which help maintain a moist microclimate as well as attracting dew.  There are more mosses with this style of growth in the nearby woods, and I'll show a couple next time.