nature man: The Wonderful World Of Moss

So many times while out walking,there are many things that we pass that we never really notice,the plants of the moss family being a perfect example, in February and March the moss is at its most spectacular with its greenery standing out in all its varied shades from every tone of green to a fiery red ,the name moss is from Latin/Greek meaning "against fire" .

Moss is so simple yet so complex its one of the few plants that do not extract water or nutrients from its roots ,so is never parasitic and does its host whether a living tree ,dead branch or stone no harm at all.

Moss has no internal water bearing vessels or veins and no flowers as well as no fruits,cones or seeds and they absorb all water and nutrients through there small delicate leaves using sunlight and daylight to create food through photosynthesis.

Mosses breed by producing spore bearing capsules on long stalks.
Over the generations moss has had many uses from simple bedding to early nappies as the absorbency is incredible,from when dried as a tinder, to lining many birds nests ,in the first and second world war it was used to dress wounds as it was found to be anti bacterial and antiseptic and was often used with ramsons (wild garlic) as this was one of the most antiseptic and wound cleansing plants found out in the wilds.