MARVELLOUS MOSS

There are well over 700 species of moss in Britain. They mostly prefer shade although some are happy in full sun, and you can find them in wet places, dry places, on bark, rocks, brick, stone, sand, chalk, concrete and on/amongst other plants – just about anywhere they can be left undisturbed in fact. Mosses have a very high surface area per unit of substratum covered, which makes many species good at trapping those pesky pollutive atmospheric particulates from traffic we hear so much about, and they can sequester harmful gases of urban areas such as nitrogen dioxide. Indeed, this ability has been harnessed commercially by constructing self-sustaining moss filter “walls” in city centres around Europe. (There’s one in Piccadilly.)

On our sites, which are mainly in urban areas, we are very keen to do all we can to help reduce atmospheric pollution, so we never use bryocides (moss killing chemicals) but rather we encourage mosses to grow amongst the grass, on structures and on tree trunks.

Above: Hypnum cupressiforme s.l. (left) is common on trees and Kindbergia praelonga is a very common moss in the shady base of meadows and similar places.

Below: cushion and tufted mosses that resist exposure and drought can be found on concrete wall tops (left) and wooden posts. Tortula muralis, Grimmia pulvinata and several species of Bryum, Barbula and others are found in such places. (Photos by the author.)

Betts Ecology asks you not to harm mosses and please don’t be misled by all those adverts about moss in lawns! In fact they are doing a great job and make lawns softer, springier and greener as well as trapping pollution! 

 © Betts Ecology