You Aren’t Paying Enough Attention to Moss

Mosses were among the first land plants to evolve out of the ocean roughly 450 million years ago. It grows everywhere, from the world’s harshest landscapes to cracks in the sidewalk. This episode of Untold Earth gets up close and personal with the mosses of the Hoh Rainforest to understand their vital role in this ecosystem and potential to offer a glimpse into our planet’s future.
Untold Earth explores the seeming impossibilities behind our planet’s strangest, most unique natural wonders. From fragile, untouched ecosystems to familiar but unexplained occurrences in our own backyard, this series chases insight into natural phenomena through the voices that know them best.
Untold Earth is produced in partnership with Atlas Obscura and Nature.
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[@THarSul]

Considering how many forests we've cleared for the sake of logging, I wonder if part of the problem with these forest fires in Canada is the lack of well established mosses and undergrowth in those regions, turning what would have been a lush forest into a veritable tinderbox, just waiting to be ignited.

[@AlbertaGeek]

Good point.

[@fuxan]

Yes

[@kidmohair8151]

it ain't just in Canada. it's world wide. particularly in the US. and all of it is to make a very few, very wealthy

[@shadowmistress999]

and things are even weirder down under: let it burn small naturally/ traditionally to not burn big🔥

[@THarSul]

@@shadowmistress999 i live in colorado, and we’ve got the same situation, a bunch of the pine trees in our mountains can only germinate when a mild wildfire burns through a makes their pinecones pop open.

[@chonglers1513]

I always liked the aesthetic of how moss makes a forest look more lush. Good to know what they actually do and their history now

[@cass_p]

Moss is so underrated, thank you for drawing more attention to it

[@andylindsaytunes]

Moss rocks.

[@JaSon-wc4pn]

Nah Lichen is where its at

[@flufffycow]

I wish my backyard was dark enough too replace the grass with moss, I get more than enough water just to much sunlight.

[@TS-kb6lv]

All coal, is forests long ago when there wasn't any fungus, fires swept whole continents back then with higher oxygen content and forests that couldn't decompose. Earth is crazy.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I always thought moss seemed like land algae, as a kid. Nice to know it was the first terrestrial plant to evolve

[@turinjatot1316]

if you think about it, it actually is land algae since it was the first plant to explore outside of the ocean and acclimate to land.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@turinjatot1316 exactly! Glorious confirmation

[@sdqsdq6274]

@@turinjatot1316 nah algae are slimy , moss feels like plant

[@nunyabiznes33]

My language use the same word for both. I wish it's easier to describe them separately.

[@TheShoe1990]

The Hoh Rainforest is the single most beautiful place I've ever been.

[@chaerodactyl]

Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a beautiful exploration of the function and folklore of bryology, for anyone interested in learning more about our fuzzy green friends

[@imogens7281]

I pay a lot of attention to moss, tyvm!

[@adpirtle]

KZbin's favorite moss is the lichensubscribe.

[@naturepbs]

👏👏👏

[@arborn6115]

wow. thats just...wow.

[@katherandefy]

😂

[@SortahSharp]

This is gold 🎉

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

I am always paying attention to moss. It's so underrated and also glorious! I have at least 5 species of moss growing on my property that I'm aware of, maybe more.

[@JaSon-wc4pn]

Same, always on the look out for my Terrainiums, And micro native weeds

[@IamJDMable]

I LOVE living in Washington because of stuff like this. I grew up near the Hoh rainforest, it's amazing

[@whatreallyisart5898]

I highly suggest reading Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer if you find this video interesting and want to know more!!

[@earth2wendy]

Moss is indeed filled with all that and more-including moss piglets (tardigrades)! Loved this Terra entry. Was hoping for a mention, tho, of the good habitat moss provides as well for the tiniest of animals.

[@Sanity_Faire]

moss pigletttsss ☺

[@sunandsage]

I like the way it makes an area such as the Pacific Northwest smell. For one of a better term I call it a clean wet smell.

[@YouGuessIGuess]

I thought the same thing when I first visited.

[@jacobv3396]

It's really cool to see the Hoh Rainforest being shown! The Pacific Northwest is the most beautiful area in the U.S.A.!

[@realityglitch2688]

Supposedly, certain mosses make for a better lawn than grass does; no need to mow, they use up less water, and they still look nice.

[@jpe1]

I have grown large areas of moss in my yard, but it’s not easy. Need deep shade and lots of water, and you can’t walk on it much at all or it will die. But it looks spectacular when conditions are good and it grows vigorously.

[@jpe1]

No mention of the alternation of generations (asexual then sexual reproduction) in mosses. Mosses are fascinating for how they differ from flowering plants (and even differ from ferns).

[@realityglitch2688]

@@jpe1 Didn’t know that. Neat.

[@brianw1620]

Several areas of my lawn are moss (on its own; I don't do any watering, planting, or chemicals). It's wonderfully soft, stays green much longer, and doesn't need mowing. It does have a certain fragility, since the roots are not deep. But like many people, I don't do much more than stroll on it.

[@leo-204]

moss is genuinely my favorite plant but also the most underappreciated.

[@Bluewaterpinessantarosabeach]

Thank you.

[@amyhayutin1738]

Just spent time in the Tongass Forest, definitely noticed the moss. Beautiful. Also, found a mossy fen in the mountains between Silverton and Ouray, CO. I was not expecting that! I felt like I was walking on pillows, amazing!

[@jillysjourney3402]

Moss is one of the joys of living in the PNW! So lucky! ❤

[@cherylb6755]

Beautiful. Thank you PBS Terra… but this was too short! 😉👏🏻

[@jeremyhofmann7034]

I’m at a moss for words

[@indyme2]

Thank you. Enjoyed the video.

[@jessicaheger1880]

I love moss so much!! ❤

[@TheyCallMeNewb]

These are some dedicated researchers.

[@cherylcarlson3315]

I have noticed more and different mosses in my yard in IL in last 5 yrs, that and lots of different fungi. So intensely cool to just look closely at these things.

[@BaglessUpright]

(except Conocephalum isn't a moss, and Selaginella isn't even a bryophyte. The stringy stuff all over the trees - it's not a moss, it's a clubmoss. Similar common name, but not the same at all.)

[@angelmaden1559]

Liverwort, Pteridophyte, Pteridophyte. Still more fun than flowering plants. 😀

[@msandrearobinson]

Beautiful!

[@cynthiamason4069]

When we water our home gardens remember to give some water love to the moss all around your yard.

[@MBMCincy63]

It's nice to see live , living moss. I'm so accustomed to seeing it dry as decor use. I have always liked the look of a moss covered anything 😁

[@CB4mo_nofomo]

I love moss and making moss terrariums 💝

[@imogens7281]

Ooh any tips or resources you could share please?! I have to move home soon to somewhere with no outside space, I was hoping to take a bit of the moss that grows on my little patio so I can have some indoor greenery to stop me losing my mind 😅 I've been encouraging it's growth for years and it certainly seems happy but not sure how to transition to indoors!

[@earth2wendy]

Mom, who was a botanist-scientist, would gather a little moss every fall from our woods to create what she called “winter gardens,” in various glass vessels. I recall her using gallon jars and an oversized wine-glass shaped container. Sometimes she populated them with little figures or frogs or people, to my child’s-eye delight. I’m sure instructions for good moss garden care could be found online, along with instructions for conscientious collecting. There may be folks who object to removing wild mosses for this purpose, but a spot of green to tend to indoors is good medicine, and who can argue with instilling appreciation for nature in a child, so long as care and thought is taken to not over harvest from any one spot.

[@CB4mo_nofomo]

@@imogens7281 I would recommend finding a video on how to make a moss terrarium to learn the substrate needed (sand, pebbles, charcoal, soil, etc.) and the correct order of the layers

[@tayloreverard2039]

I live in the pacific northwest - I'm excited to go take a closer look at this stuff!

[@dianewallace6064]

Thank you for this content.

[@jamesraymond1158]

This gives a very narrow picture of where mosses live. They THRIVE in hot dry deserts, volcanic fields of Iceland, and bitter cold environments in Antarctica.

[@JessicaTPeterson]

Wow. We need more moss videos!

[@johnnyearp52]

I live in New Mexico. I rarely see moss. I am happy when I do spot it!

[@echognomecal6742]

When I get called out for not paying enough attention to moss, I pay attention.

[@christinearmington]

Love all the different moss kingdoms in my NC forest. 🥰

[@alienonion4636]

When I hear or read the word moss or see actual moss I travel back in time to when I was about 4 years old sitting behind our garage because it was shady and cooler there. I found moss that was the most beautiful green and on the bottom of my bare feet felt like velvet. My dad was surprised to see moss growing there. My first experience and I took away moss is good and I immediately liked it. And I still do. The apartment where I live has at least three different moss that I can see without even getting up from my chair.

[@PhoebeFayRuthLouise]

I lived in the Pacific Northwest and we definitely do have amazing moss!

[@swayback7375]

I haven’t even watched yet, but I can safely say there are many more interesting mosses. New Zealand has some stunning mosses with stems. They look like pine seedlings

[@swayback7375]

Oh wow… ok so he went straight into bryophyts that aren’t true moss, but related non vascular plants…. They’re casting a wide net!

[@adidarmawan]

Please consider making this into a mini series!! More moss!!

[@fldon2306]

Japanese love using mosses in gardens, much more than grasses. The Tsubo-niwa gardens in Kyoto houses and shops are stunning, cooling and calming. Like Mother Nature’s CARPETING!! Great vid; thanks!

[@kuukeli]

yay

[@MumboMod]

All hail the moss. It was here before us and it'll be here long after us.

[@PerspectiveEngineer]

Super cool man... l will pay attention

[@Knaeben]

If I could go back, I'd be a biologist and study moss.

[@Sanity_Faire]

Right?!

[@shannonbowman5990]

Maybe😊

[@whitb6111]

No reason why you can't do that now. I went back to school recently and finished my biology degree and even took plant biology but what I noticed is I learned so much more just by self studying plants and particularly fern/moss biology on my own. I felt more educated on the subject than my PhD in plant pathology professor. You don't need a degree to master the subject. Buy "Plant Biology" by Peter Raven. It is the Bible of botany/plant biology. The chapters on moss and the bryophytes are excellent.

[@CanadianSledDog]

Cool I definitely learned a few things from this video. When I'm in the rainforest or any forest I always look at all the layers of life not just the trees and it becomes really easy to determine the health of the ecosystem by the number of layers of ground cover, understory, and canopy, and how much biodiversity exists in each layer. In other words you can tell the difference between a logging plantation and a mature forest in seconds. Moss or lichen is always the most obvious and first sign.

[@huldu]

I always thought moss on trees were killing them, like parasites. I'm glad that isn't the case.

[@TheSouthIsHot]

My next door neighbor has gorgeous moss growing in her backyard on the ground under her pine trees. When I walk on it barefoot, I feel a distinct calmness and relaxation that I don't feel when I walk on grass. It's medicinal. There's something about moss.

[@zaugitude]

Already very into checking out moss, but had to come see anyway 😉

[@rayrocher6887]

Great show great job

[@JordanBeagle]

I couldn't agree more!

[@HipyoTech]

god I love moss

[@rosemarymcbride3419]

i resent the implication that i don't notice moss enough

[@ericswain4177]

Mosses are fascinating.

[@mariebisson1252]

Moss is gorgeous!

[@user-hh2lo9fs5e]

This is a fantastic video

[@rayrocher6887]

Thanks for the education, thanks for learning how save moss worlds

[@farmstrong5434]

WOW! Sooooo amazing! Nature is astonishing! Love from Morocco 🇲🇦 Loved the video!

[@davidmccarthy6061]

I wish my lawn was moss instead of grass!

[@roseleilani76]

Fascinating! Btw, if you visit the Hoh, there's a trail called the Hall of Mosses. Definitely worth a visit!

[@miamianz]

love moss !! its like mini tropical jungles i think of large forests of course if i was the size of a ant. i find myself kneeling sometimes just to view them at that level and get lost. i know its weird.

[@gsilcoful]

Very cool.

[@SpringNotes]

I Love Moss !

[@kasondaleigh]

Cool.

[@SMunro]

I pay attention to Moss. I distinctly remember finding Moss on some boulders fourty years ago and petting it like a puppy. Pretty sure the moss was set for life after getting appreciated..

[@Gutterrat69]

The title of this feels like a personal attack

[@thomaswilliams2273]

That's okay. The guy said moss is endangered but didn't say why. Perhaps it's because people like him keep picking it to show to the camera. Also there's lots of comments saying some of these aren't actually moss, so apparently he isn't paying enough attention either 😊.

[@tracieluck9449]

❤️❤️👀🥰😁

[@SolaceEasy]

Moss thriving in the Sonoran Desert in over 100° days.

[@samdumaquis2033]

Interesting

[@istoppedlaughing5225]

Moss is my first love among the plants

[@geneticepistomology]

My yard is no longer has grass, I took it out and replaced it with moss. I transplanted it from the side/ back of my house. After a year that which I removed grew back and bow it looks like a putting green. .5 acre by hand btw.

[@Sanity_Faire]

So, is your yard full of trees to shade the moss? We mow 5 acres and that needs to stop 🥵 Too sunny for moss.

[@geneticepistomology]

@@Sanity_Faire Because the moss I moved was not cultivated several types were present . As I transplanted it the idea was to identify the type that would tolerate the direct sunlight. It took a year to find out, by that time the back and sides of the house were ready for another harvest. The second years work was a pain but no where near the first effort. Totally worth it. If the ground you are covering is not hard and bare, you’ll have and extra step. With your sized property I would try to find natural mosses tolerant to sun in your yard and dry it out completely. Then take the dry moss and mix it in a blender with buttermilk and pour where you want it. Once green appears keep it clear and damp. Use a weed wacker to burn any grass or weeds that appear. (Burning grass is cutting it as close to the earth as possible. If you’re interested I can post a video of pics from my project. Good luck 👍!

[@stargazer726]

moss is 100% under appreciated

[@JaydenLawson]

I love moss

[@Jillybean620]

Get your moss on!

[@raphlvlogs271]

over time mosses can create some soil on it's own for other life forms

[@lorenrenee1]

I love Mash so much scary I crave moss it’s soft it’s bringing it’s pretty detailed I’m talking about Moss

[@GajanaNigade]

I like the rivalry moss is having with AJ Styles.

[@Rnankn]

Moss is also a very comfy place to have naps in the rain forest.

[@zarinaromanets7290]

This is a wonderful video. But the background ringing sound at about 3 minutes in is like an alarm going off lol I had to skip to another part of the video.

[@DLKUNATHIII]

Go out and hug your local moss today!

[@DIEGOKNOPHENRIQUES]

Very nice and objective video. I'd just like to add that Sellaginella isn't a moss. It looks like one, but it is actually a fern relative. Congratz!

[@rayrocher6887]

Good people trying to save the world, better future, a master plan

[@allythearts5439]

I incorporated moss into a few of my art peices ❤❤❤

[@mascadadelpantion8018]

Apparently I wasn't paying enough attention to moss

[@Orpilorp]

Thank you for the informative video. I believe all these mosses were created by our Father God. I cant see how something as wonderfully beautiful as moss just randomly happened. We have large portions of moss in our woods here in Nebraska.

[@kmo1104]

🙏

[@ran.glacialis]

Interesting. Here in central Europe we have very similar species that are common in forests. Identical genus, but species I have never heard of (but I'm not really a bryology expert). Except for Hylocomium splendens, which is very common here.

[@b0bb0btheb0b]

Same, Rhytidiadelphus loreus and Conocephalum conicum are both fairly common in Scotland. Some mosses have some crazy distribution ranges thanks to their spores being able to drift up into the atmosphere. We have one rare species here in the highlands that is only otherwise known from the Himalayas!

[@SeanOkkotsu]

I love the ff mosses: Vesicularia dubyana Taxiphyllum sp. Flame Leptodictyum riparium Fissidens fontanus and Vesicularia montagnei

[@hoodyk7342]

I lived somewere super dry so seeing moss was really nice

[@beadingbusily]

❤

[@baggieknight8411]

Thank you for this video... Glad I watched it after the whale warehouse episode..😓😓 IT was inspiring to see that there are places like that, places that lucky we didn't destroy. With humanities track record that we didn't already cut it down and build a shopping mall on top of ir

[@aprilmorris4588]

I would love to know how much carbon is collected in the moss in the Redwoods forests. Those trees are hundreds of feet tall with branches larger than most houses. Every one of those branches has moss and other plants, bushes, and even trees (including more redwood trees; take note of the Family Tree in Trees of Mystery near Klamath, CA) growing from them. 💚 Moss is one of the things I love best about those forests. When I can see dew or mist shining like diamonds 💎 in the moss, I know it's going to be an amazing day in my favorite place on the planet. 🌎

[@hollowmask132]

Moss

[@katherandefy]

Can we seed moss like in my bare backyard?

[@BiggCliph]

Touch the moss

[@cristineconnell7803]

Everybody keeps trying to throw away my moss😂😂

[@paleobc65]

If you guys want to help mosses remember to buy peat free moss! Like Rosy Soil, Back to the Roots, and Ivymay

[@deniecedonnafield5264]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@delve_]

they capitalized the specific epithets

[@KevinWhite-zb5os]

So how do I get rid of it?