Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Investigating Moss

Yesterday my granddaughter and I found some moss growing in the yard. She was quite intrigued by it, so I pulled up a bit, and brought it in the house for further study. She looked at in under different powers of magnification. She liked how soft it was, and how it looked like a mini forest. She also observed how the roots (called rhizoids) are not long, and do not go deep into the ground. Moss grow in mounds, or mats. I also had her take note of where it was growing: a damp, shady place. Mosses don't produce flowers, but during growing season, it will send up tiny stalks with a capsule on top that contain spores which will be released, and spread by the wind, or water to create new patches of moss.



Investigating a mat of moss.



Under the bigger microscope.





Rhizoids are moss roots. They are as thin as a strand of hair.





We found 2 different kinds of moss in the yard.



Moss between paving stones.



Some moss grows in mounds, while others are more mat-like.
This moss has sent up the slender stalks with the capsules, called sporangia, on top which contain the spores.




















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