More about moss

One of my friends was talking about my moss pictures recently. She said she missed the adventure of my explorations (I'm paraphrasing here). It is true that I have been neglecting the moss. The rainy spring and summer would have been the perfect occasion to work on moss painting. Another opportunity lost, but my mind just hasn't been on the bryophytes.

Then I remembered seeing some moss glimmering on the steps of an empty townhouse nearby.

It is pretty happy moss. And there seem to be different varieties.

I started to think about growing moss again. Maybe I could grow enough to experiment with painting in a controlled situation. I decided to check in on some moss I left on the fire escape last autumn.

When last I saw it, the pot contained the pitiful remnants of early experiments. The previous summer had been cruel.

But now the pot is all filled in with velvet green, except for the parts with rubble. I remember reading that moss does not like pebbles and twigs and you are supposed to clean it out with tweezers. This pot of moss survived the winter, so it can handle the cold. I would really like to make something with moss...

Meanwhile, I have some more pictures of the mossy steps and overgrown garden. There is a sort of Victorian moodiness which has caught my fancy.