10/16/2019
Plant nerd alert! Everyone loves lycopods! Ok wellllll everyone would if they knew about them! This little gem is Lycopodiella appressa, otherwise known as appressed bog clubmoss. (Not a real moss, it's actually a small vascular plant)
So why is it so cool?!
Well first of all it looks all sleek and rope like, looping up and down across the ground like a medieval sea monster. Two it belongs to the family of plants that started the whole vascular tissue fad. The first lycopods were all about that more efficient movement of water throughout themselves. Making it possible for them to grow taller than the other plants of the time. Who doesn't want to be the tallest plant around?
Lycopods are old school, no procreation via seeds for them, these little dudes generate and disseminate all in one move through spores. Similar to there decedents ferns, which I am sure you have heard about. There is a long evolutionary history for clubmosses, well past there heyday, they now tend to be found growing in cool, shady locations. This particular specimen of appressed bog clubmoss was found romping around underneath a robust over-story of mixed herbaceous plants thriving in a power line cut. Clubmosses are notoriously difficult to cultivate, never ever dig them from the wild to move to your garden. Yes, I know they are super cool but you will 100 percent kill it. Spot them on your adventures, show off your plant knowledge to your friends and then leave them alone to do their thing.
