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Twisted moss closeup, Heesch, Netherlands Extreme macro closeup of the leaves and glass hairs of this moss. To given an idea of its size to the naked eye:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/106639/twisted_moss_on_bird_feeder_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Twisted moss on bird feeder, Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/106639_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=Tn9TBm4FLTobdPPqLYidPIhRHEw%3D" width="114" height="152" alt="Twisted moss on bird feeder, Heesch, Netherlands https://www.jungledragon.com/image/106640/twisted_moss_closeup_heesch_netherlands.html Fall,Geotagged,Netherlands,Tortula ruralis,Twisted moss" /></a></figure><br /> It&#039;s similar to this earlier shot:<br /> <br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/106009/syntrichia_ruralis_springtails_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Syntrichia ruralis + springtails, Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/106009_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=A0Oyi2Ao0sNaXqGEe08j62pCRtM%3D" width="200" height="156" alt="Syntrichia ruralis + springtails, Heesch, Netherlands This scene too has 2 &quot;hidden&quot; springtails in it. I swear, I wasn&#039;t even trying. <br /> <br /> ID tentative. The dutch name &quot;Little dune star&quot; led me to believe this can&#039;t be the species, as it&#039;s described to grow on sand/dunes. I live nowhere near that, and this cluster is even growing on dead wood (our bird feeder). Still I keep coming back to this species ID, so hope it is correct. Example of a reference:<br /> https://waarneming.nl/photos/32494917/<br /> <br /> Most interesting part are the long &quot;glass hairs&quot;, which are typically white yet there are examples of more orange ones (unless those are misidentified). The purpose of these hairs is to reflect sunlight, protecting the moss from drying out. Hardly needed currently, we haven&#039;t had a dry day in 6 weeks. Tortula ruralis,Twisted moss" /></a></figure><br /> ...yet this one is taken indoors, with lower ISO, and some better focus control. Extreme Macro,Tortula ruralis,Twisted moss Click/tap to enlarge Promoted

Twisted moss closeup, Heesch, Netherlands

Extreme macro closeup of the leaves and glass hairs of this moss. To given an idea of its size to the naked eye:

Twisted moss on bird feeder, Heesch, Netherlands https://www.jungledragon.com/image/106640/twisted_moss_closeup_heesch_netherlands.html Fall,Geotagged,Netherlands,Tortula ruralis,Twisted moss

It's similar to this earlier shot:

Syntrichia ruralis + springtails, Heesch, Netherlands This scene too has 2 "hidden" springtails in it. I swear, I wasn't even trying. <br /> <br /> ID tentative. The dutch name "Little dune star" led me to believe this can't be the species, as it's described to grow on sand/dunes. I live nowhere near that, and this cluster is even growing on dead wood (our bird feeder). Still I keep coming back to this species ID, so hope it is correct. Example of a reference:<br /> https://waarneming.nl/photos/32494917/<br /> <br /> Most interesting part are the long "glass hairs", which are typically white yet there are examples of more orange ones (unless those are misidentified). The purpose of these hairs is to reflect sunlight, protecting the moss from drying out. Hardly needed currently, we haven't had a dry day in 6 weeks. Tortula ruralis,Twisted moss

...yet this one is taken indoors, with lower ISO, and some better focus control.

    comments (1)

  1. View Flown Kimmerling's profile
    Flown Kimmerling
    Lion
    View Lion class
    absolutely tiny! Posted 4 years ago

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The Twisted moss

''Tortula ruralis'', commonly known as twisted moss and star moss, is a species of moss with a cosmopolitan distribution. It occurs in North America, the Pacific, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North and South Africa, South America, and Australia. It grows in many types of climate, including the Arctic, boreal areas, temperate areas, and deserts. It grows in tundra, coniferous forest, grassland, sagebrush, and other habitat types.

Info 6 0
Similar species: Pottiales
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
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By Ferdy Christant

All rights reserved
Uploaded Jan 1, 2021. Captured Dec 19, 2020 15:07.
country flag of Netherlands Explore Netherlands 8,314 2,306 0
  • NIKON D850
  • f/8.0
  • 1/60s
  • ISO64
  • 50mm

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