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Some of my best moss patches are on large outcrops of Schist and quartz. One bit of ledge, which I have nicknamed Whale Rock, is about 30 feet long and 10-15 feet wide and it rises like the back of a leviathan from the surrounding woods. When we moved here, it was covered with a dense stand of stunted white pine seedlings that could not make much headway in the thin, scurfy duff that clung to its surface but which nevertheless did their best to shade out any moss that might try to gain a foothold. On the bare edges of the ledge, broom moss (Dicranum scoparium, left and below), along with a few other speciesdid manage to grow. We have an abundance of pines on our property, so I had no compunction about removing the stand of seedlings from the outcrop and I inevitably dislodged some of the duff that had accumulated around their roots. With the area newly cleared, I raked the broom moss with a metal leaf rake, sweeping little bits that break off toward the bare areas in the center. After two years, these took hold wonderfully well and now I must only weed out interlopers once a year and clear off fallen leaves and sticks twice in autumn. |
(left) Whale rock in March 2004 after removal of pines. The broom moss os confined to the bare rock surfaces where it can compete against larger plants. (right) Whale rock in October 2006 photographed from the other end after the broom moss has colonized the middle sections of the ledge. I have just used a backpack leaf blower to remove leaves and sticks. A few forbs, notably wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), and wild oats (Uvularia sesslifolia) now prosper in the moss. Seedlings of pink lady-slipper (Cypripedium acaule) have popped up in one area as well. In a declivity of the ledge just out of the frame to the right, I planted a few small clumps of Oconee Bells (Shortia galacifolia). There is a bit more duff there and water trickles in from the ledge, creating conditions where the Shortia has prospered. I am sprinkling the tiny seeds into the moss in hopes a few will take. Many woodland wildflowers, trees, and shrubs prefer to germinate in beds of moss, which can be a blessing or a curse. |
