https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/207993692
This Alpine Haircap Moss, or Polytrichastrum alpinum, is a moss species that I had not seen before! Although it is naturally occurring, I have also seen it planted in landscaping and gardening uses—especially in a potted flower arrangement. I observed this species when I was getting back into my car after a hike on the Lunch Creek Trail outside of Ketchikan. While on the hike, it occurred to me that there are not a lot of wildlife, plants, or just wild specimens across the board that are new to me or I haven’t seen before in the Ketchikan area. As a matter of fact, I tried to find something new to me on the hike but could not come up with anything. Then, when I thought that I had failed at my mission, I found this specimen about twenty feet in front of where my car was parked. Sometimes, that is the way that life works! Although I could not find a ton about this species, I did find that something unique to this type of moss is that it has fewer leaves around the base of the plant (Fretwell et al.). I have seen similar types of moss in other areas of the United States, but not this specific species. When looking at the species, it looks less like a moss and more like some low-growing cover plant, but it is indeed a moss. I attempted to research if this plant was a domestic plant or if it was introduced from elsewhere but could not find anything that said one way or another.
Works Cited
Fretwell, Kelly, et al. “Alpine Haircap Moss • Polytrichastrum Alpinum.” Biodiversity of the Central Coast, 2014, www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/alpine-haircap-moss-bull-polytrichastrum-alpinum.html. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024.
Comentarios
That is interesting, I also would have thought that to be a fern. I cannot recall seeing that moss anywhere before because it looks remarkably like the Horsetail. Although I am quite sure that the horsetail is a lot bigger than what you have found. I liked to break the horsetails apart as a kid, their segmented stalks made for great whips.
I too wanted to find things that were not as widely noticed everywhere in Alaska on my iNaturalist outings but given the brief amount of time I actually get spare from work and class I could not take many trips exploring trying to find less common species. I still think we have managed a good representation of variety amongst the five of us.
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