What do you call a reproducing sphagnum?

June 4, 2012

Today I learned about moss thanks to Chuck and Josh over at Stuff You Should Know, a great podcast to which everyone should also be listening.

Moss the article
Moss the podcast

Turns out moss is pretty boring. Yes, we know it grows on the non-sun facing side of a tree, and if you're lost you can tell the direction if you can see moss.

The interesting tidbits I picked up were this:

• If you can't grow grass in your yard due to lack of sunlight, grow moss instead.
• If you want to purposefully get moss to grow on one of your trees (or a rock or something,) dig up some moss, toss it in the blender with buttermilk and then paint it on. 
• If you have moss in your yard and you want it to be there, water it with buttermilk in the spring.  
• Some mosses can go dormant for up to 19 years, then you can put water on it and it will come right back to life. 

I also learned that e.g. is exempli gratia ( for example) and i.e. is id est (it/that is.) and now that I know that I might never again use them incorrectly.

File that one under something I should have learned years ago.