This is very rough and tentative; I am by no means a moss expert.
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First off, there are three main classes of moss commonly seen in NJ:
So, if you learn the first two, you can label everything else "Bryopsida" and be fairly confident.
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Sphagnum moss
a sphagnum moss
a sphagnum moss
a sphagnum moss which has been knocked on its side
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Haircap and Smoothcap (Polytrichum / Polytrichastrum and Atrichum)
Haircap (moist) narrow stars
Smoothcap (moist) broad-leaved stars
Haircap (dry) leaves fold up
Smoothcap (dry) leaves crumple and crinkle inward
Note that Thyme Moss (Plagiomnium cuspidatum) can also look star-like at the tips of the stalks, but the leaves are even broader, oval shaped, and the stems have oval shaped leaves not in whorls.
Thyme moss (not in the haircap/smoothcap group)
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Everybody Else (Bryopsida)
These are roughly in the order in which I learned them.
Delicate Fern Moss (Thuidium delicatulum)
Delicate fern moss
a few mosses can be confused with it. Brocade is common, but each stem looks rolled in at the edges. Redstem Feather is very uncommon and much looser.
Brocade Moss (Callicladium imponens)
Brocade moss
Cushion moss (Leucobryum glaucum)
Cushion moss
a big patch of cushion moss
Silvery Bryum (Bryum argentium)
Silvery Bryum
a similar moss, but much less common, in similar situations, but with longer leaves is:
Redshank (Ceratodon purpureus)
Redshank (you can see individual leaves)
Thyme moss (Plagiomnium cuspidatum)
Thyme moss
Tree Moss (Climacium americanum et al.) There are several species in our area, hard to separate
tree moss
Bristle moss (Orthotrichum stellatum et al.) There are several species in our area, hard to separate
Bristle moss
This is very commonly mixed up with crisped pincushion moss (Ulota crispa) which is a more northern species and has its "fruit" in elongated capsules that stick up well above the leaves
Crisped pincushion
Fork moss (Dicranum sp.)
Fork moss
Tree skirt moss (Pseudoanomodon attenuatus)
Tree skirt moss
Tree skirt moss
Note that other mosses also grow on tree bases.
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Other, more challenging mosses:
There are lots of other mosses in NJ that are either less common or more challenging to ID.
Rock mosses (Grimiaceae) are dark mosses in clumps on boulders.
an example of a rock moss (the yellow-green is not)
Bladder moss (Physcomitrium pyriforme) grows in disturbed soil and has very round "fruit" (sporophyte capsules) on little stems above a clump of velvety-looking moss
Bladder moss
Apple moss is much the same, but with long, silky leaves, and "fruit" on droopy stems
Apple moss
Seductive Entodon moss (Entodon seductrix) has long, smooth branches with leaves tightly appressed all the way around, like tiny ropes (It also has the weirdest name of any common moss, someone spent way too long in the lab!)
Seductive Entodon moss
Spoon leaved moss (Bryoandersonia illecebra) is similar but grows upward and the leaves are not as tight to the stems. The tips are light. This is an extremely common species in the woods by me
Spoon-leaved moss
Pocket moss (Fissidens taxifolius) is a neat little moss that likes wet and looks like someone ironed tiny Cristmas tree branches.
Pocket moss
Plait moss (Hypnum cupressiforme et al.) are several messy looking forest floor mosses that I never try to actually ID. they look something like this
Probably a Plait moss
Branch moss (Callicladium haldanianum) is another messy moss that I can't ID. It's shiny.
Probably branch moss
Lindberg's hypnum (Calliergonella lingbergii) is another messy moss, more spreading in the leaves. I can't ID it, either
probably Lindberg's hypnum
Red-stem feather moss (Pleurozium schreberi) is another messy moss, but it has a distinct red stem at least
Red-stem feather moss
And hoar moss (Hedwigia ciliata) is a cute little bristly-looking clumping moss of boulders (and old roof shingles) that I've just learned
Hoar moss
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For those of you into the taxonomy of it all, the Bryopsidas here fall into 6 orders:
Hypnales is the most complex, with 7 families:
Dicranales has 4 families:
Bryales has 2 families:
Orthotrichales has one
Funariales has one
and Hedwigiales has one
Comments
Sara
Thank you for this excellent summary. It is a good starting place for someone like me who is trying to learn more about mosses and lichens.
I lived in Hunterdon County for a couple of decades and am now in Montgomery Co in southeastern PA so I suspect that there will be a significant overlap of species of moss in our two respective areas. (I do regularly follow you posts).
Several questions:
what are you using for your moss photography? Type of camera (DSLR or iPhone with click on macro lens) and if camera, what type of lens?
I have had very few of my moss observations id’d on iNat. (Blue_Marble). Do you have any recommendations to increase the rate of my moss or lichen observations to be id’d?
I have reviewed the archives of your iNat journal posts and did not find a similar post on lichens from you . If one exists, please send me a link. If not, I would encourage you to create one.
Thanks again for your work
Stan Kozakowski
Blue_Marble
Hi Stan @blue_marble, I've been thinking about making a lichen one. I have no idea how to get more moss/lichen (or fungi for that matter) IDs, I wish there were more folks out there making them. I use a Sony Alpha DSLR (on auto everything) with a 55-210 lens which mostly allows me to take the photos without squatting (as my knees are not what they could be).
Sara
Thanks for the information re your camera and lens. Also thanks for IDing my moss posts from yesterday. I was out and about and added more today. It is challenging and like everything else will take some practice. For fungi, there is an excellent FaceBook group Friends of the Philadelphia Mycology Club. They are excellent in providing very timely identifications. I believe that there is also a well know NJ Mycology FaceBook Group that you might find helpful. (The NJ Mycology Association).
I just joined two groups on FaceBook - Ferns, Lichens, and Mosses AND Lichen Identification. I will see how helpful they are.
Stan @blue_marble
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