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Ordinary moss

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Scientific name: Brachythecium rutabulum
Ordinary moss is very common in gardens and woodlands. moss provides shelter for many minibeasts, so encourage it to grow in your garden by providing logs, stone piles and untidy areas.

Top facts

Category

Stats

Height: up to 4cm

Conservation status

Common.

When to see

January to December

About

Ordinary moss, as its name suggests, is one of the UK's most common mosses and is found growing in lawns, on damp ground and in woodlands.

What to look for

Ordinary moss is usually dark green, but can be tinged yellow. It has branching stems that taper, with shiny, oval, pointed leaves that have fine teeth on their edges.

Where to find

Widespread.

Did you know?

Mosses do not produce seeds or flowers, but reproduce by producing spores. These spores are held in capsules that grow within fruiting bodies sprouting from the moss. When they are ready, the moss releases the spores, often by forcing them into the air through the release of built-up pressure within the capsule. In other words, they explode!