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Down the Garden Path: Moss are resilient botanical survivors · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Down the garden path. Moss are resilient botanical survivors. Written
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  Speaker 1: by Treca Baron Boyd and University of Illinois Extension. This
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  Speaker 1: article is being read by an automated voice brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by Everlet. Mosses are incredible plants that come in
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  Speaker 1: a range of colors beyond discreen and have diverse textures.
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  Speaker 1: There are over thirteen thousand species worldwide, with about three
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  Speaker 1: hundred and fifty different species found in northern Illinois. For
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  Speaker 1: a moss hunting adventure, try your backyard, the forest preserves,
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  Speaker 1: or the Morton Arboretum. Good places to look are under
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  Speaker 1: trees on the north side, between paverstones, on old rooftops,
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  Speaker 1: and thinned out areas and lawns. Moss is one of
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  Speaker 1: the bryophytes, specifically Phylumbryophyta in the Kingdom plant a. These
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  Speaker 1: non vascular plants are devoid of true flowers, leaves, stems, roots,
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  Speaker 1: or a system for vascular distribution of water and nutrients.
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  Speaker 1: Mosses have fillids, which are thin celled leaflets, structures and
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  Speaker 1: colids which resemble stems and are capable of photosynthesis and
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  Speaker 1: absorption of water and nutrients directly from their surroundings. This
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  Speaker 1: is why high humidity and surface moisture are critical for
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  Speaker 1: the growth and reproduction of mosses. Since there are no
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  Speaker 1: flowers or seeds, they reproduce through a process where water
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  Speaker 1: on the plant carries the male cells to fertilize the
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  Speaker 1: female reproductive cells, which becomes spore containing capsules. After the
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  Speaker 1: capsules mature, they release their contents onto surrounding areas, creating
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  Speaker 1: new moss plants. They have two growth patterns, cushions and carpets.
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  Speaker 1: With no true roots, Mosses have rhizoids, which are root
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  Speaker 1: like structures that anchor moss to soil, rocks, and wood
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  Speaker 1: in shady, damp areas. With a history exceeding four hundred
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  Speaker 1: and fifty million years, this ancient plant prompts the question
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  Speaker 1: how do they survive? Despite their seemingly fragile nature, Mosses
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  Speaker 1: exhibit greater hardiness than perceived by adapting to varied soil
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  Speaker 1: types and thriving and conditions characterized by compaction, low fertility,
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  Speaker 1: and poor drainage. Their ability to tolerate periods of complete
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  Speaker 1: dehydration and rapidly rehydrated when moisture becomes available underscores their
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  Speaker 1: remarkable resilience and adverse conditions. Their durability has been demonstrated
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  Speaker 1: through their survival of space travel. In twenty twenty two,
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  Speaker 1: mosses placed outside the International Space Station showed remarkable vitality,
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  Speaker 1: with most plants thriving upon their return to Earth. Besides
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  Speaker 1: being tough guys, mosses fulfill crucial ecological roles, including soil
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  Speaker 1: moisture and nutrient retention, erosion prevention, and providing habitat for
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  Speaker 1: various organisms and wildlife. They also contribute to the nutrient
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  Speaker 1: cycle by breaking down organic matter. So on your next
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  Speaker 1: walk see how many different types of mosses you can find.
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  Speaker 1: References Garden Origs. Growing and Caring for Moss by William Moss,
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  Speaker 1: Slash Access twenty seven February twenty twenty six, University Maryland
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  Speaker 1: Extension Moss in the Landscape, slash Access to to March
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six. Popular Science. Moss survived two hundred and
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  Speaker 1: eighty three days in space, Shocking Biologists by Laura Besos,
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  Speaker 1: published nov twenty twenty twenty five, Slash Access twenty one
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  Speaker 1: five February twenty twenty six. For more information, check out Trica.
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  Speaker 1: Baron Boyd is a Certified Master Gardner volunteer with University
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  Speaker 1: of Illinois Extension, serving DuPage, Kine, and Kendall Counties.