Denman Island is covered in mosses. We hiked a number of trails on the island and all of the forested areas have a rich variety of mosses. Some of the species were new to us and some we have identified in the past while hiking in the Interior areas of B.C. To properly identify specific types of mosses we need to carefully inspect samples, possibly using a magnifying glass, or take samples for the microscope, but we are hikers first so each sighting is a quick encounter and a capture with a camera. We use INaturalist to help with the IDs, but we usually find we should have spent more time and take more photos from different angles and viewpoints. A few of the photos are shared here, with some tentative IDs. Comments are welcome.
Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
From our research, the images may include elongate rock moss (Racomitrium elongatum), badge moss (Plagiomnium insigne) , stairstep moss (Hylocomium splendens), a kinbergia, starmoss (Sunchtria ruralis), and others.
Click an image for a lightbox view.
Please find articles on mosses written by Mike Ryan (BC Ministry Ecologist) on this website – link.
