The Urban Pantheist

In April Urban Nature Walk went to Ponkapoag Pond. Some folks stayed for four or five hours, finally making it to the bog. Alas, I had to leave after 2 hours. Friends of mine (locals I call the "nature friends") found out I'd never been to the bog and were horrified. Finally enough things came together and I planned for the July walk to approach Ponkapoag from the opposite side so we would get to the bog quicker. Even before we got to the bog, it was a very different walk than the one we took in April. For one thing: mushrooms!


These little teeny guys were right by the trailhead (which is right off of rt 93). They look very similar to mushrooms we've seen at Cutler Park--we haven't identified them to species, but Alexis named them "Spaghettio mushrooms."

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Here's the group that assembled for the December 2012 Urban Nature Walk! Not a bad turn out, considering that the forecast called for rain and/or snow with temperatures just above freezing.

Allandale Woods is an Urban Wild; It's 90 acres of second-growth forest within the city of Boston. We spent two hours and saw the tiniest sliver of the place.

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On Sunday we went to the Lost Pond Reservation. I was surprised at how many mushrooms I found, despite how late in the fall it is.

( more Lost Pond mushrooms )

Photo by urbpan

Urban species #334: Wall moss Tortula muralis

This is another one of those "it could be this one" identifications. Tortula muralis is a moss with a growth form resembling a cushion. It is known to grow on concrete and mortar--a rarity among mosses, since they usually avoid alkaline substrates. It resists dessication, and so can survive in variably wet and dry climates like that of New England. It is also known to be resistant to toxic elements and pollution, and is one of the more common urban mosses. This one could be Tortula muralis. Alas, to properly identify a moss, one must use characteristics not visible in this photograph.

Mosses are evolutionarily primitive plants, meaning that they never evolved many of the features that we usually associate with plants. They have no roots, but instead adhere to their substrate with sticky filaments. They have no vascular system--no way to move water and nutrients within their thin tissues, and so require rain and external moisture to do this for them. They do not have flowers, fruit, or seeds. Male plants produce two-flagellated sperm that swim through the rainwater to fertilize the female moss plants. Recent studies have shown that springtails help to transport these sperm cells in some cases. The mating results in spores, which then are released to colonize new substrate.

Mosses are pioneer organisms, many species growing on bare surfaces. When mosses die, their tissues become soil, and eventually provide habitat for other plants. In cities in the Pacific Northwest and other very wet areas, moss growth can be pervasive and truly impressive.

For more on urban mosses and other bryophytes: http://www-biol.paisley.ac.uk/courses/silverside/PCE/PCEUrbanB.html