All images on this website have been taken in Leicestershire and Rutland by NatureSpot members. We welcome new contributions - just register and use the Submit Records form to post your photos. Click on any image below to visit the species page. The RED / AMBER / GREEN dots indicate how easy it is to identify the species - see our Identification Difficulty page for more information. A coloured rating followed by an exclamation mark denotes that different ID difficulties apply to either males and females or to the larvae - see the species page for more detail.
Mosses
Mosses, liverworts and hornworts are collectvely called Bryophytes. They are small flowerless green plants that reproduce through spores or asexually via gemmae or tubers. Unlike flowering plants, ferns and conifers, they have no vascular system (the phloem or xylem vessels of flowering plants, ferns, conifers etc.) Instead, water and nutrients diffuse directly into their thin tissue. As early colonisers they can be found in virtually all terrestrial habitats. As well as being all around us, they are a good option to study in January and February when most other plants and invertebrates are absent.
Liverworts are in a separate NatureSpot gallery - they are either 'thallose' or 'foliose' (leafy), the latter with flattened shoots and leaves arranged in 2 or three ranks. Be aware that some mosses e.g. Fissidens and Plagiothecium have flattened shoots and can look similar to leafy liverworts. Hornworts are rarely recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland, and currently NatureSpot does not have any records with images that can be displayed.
Facebook Group: Bryophytes of Britain and Ireland
The British Bryological Society provides some excellent online guidance to help identify mosses and liverworts.
The BBS guides to common mosses and liverworts are very useful.
Atherton, I., Bosanquet, S. & Lawley, M. (eds.) 2010. Mosses and Liverworts of Britain and Ireland: A Field Guide BBS is an accessible guide for non-specialists and is highly recommended. The BBS are currently planning a second edition.
Watson, E.V. (1981) British Mosses and Liverworts (3rd edition) CUP has keys that are more technical, often based on cell shape and leaf characteristics that may require microscopic examination. Be aware that since it was published, there have been some changes in taxonomy, and some new species have arrived in the British Isles.
Smith, A.J.E (2004) The Moss Flora of Britain and Ireland (2nd edition) CUP is the classic guide to mosses, illustrating all species known to occur in the British Isles and including a comprehensive key - essential for the serious bryologist.
To identify some mosses, you may need to look at the microscopic details of the leaves - e.g. the cell shape in different parts of the leaf; whether there is a nerve in the leaf; whether the leaf margin is toothed, etc. For most species, the leaves are just one cell thick, and the shape of cells can be seen at low magnification. The BBS website includes micro-photographs of the leaves of some species, and the drawings in Watson and Smith (refs. above) are very helpful. To begin with you will need to decided if the moss is a Sphagnum, or is acrocarpous or pleurocarpous.
Pleurocarpous mosses have a mat-like growth, with many branched stems tangled together.
Acrocarpous mosses have tufted growth made up of separate upright shoots, often forming dense cushions.
Moss specimens will keep for a long time in paper packets (not plastic) once they have dried out. They re-hydrate very quickly once water is added.
If you know of other websites or books that you would recommend, do let us know: info@naturespot.org
Pleurocarpous mosses (Hypnales)
In contrast to acrocarps, pleurocarpous mosses have a mat-like growth, with many branched stems tangled together. Sometimes they can have a miniature tree-like growth form ('dendroid'). The seta bearing the capsule arises from along the stem, not from the stem tip.
