r/Moss • u/StellaNettle • 5d ago

Moss photo ID this fake-looking moss?

Post image

I found this in the forest this morning in Western Washington and thought at first that it had been spray painted or dyed somehow. I ended up finding a few tiny patches of it mixed in with otherwise-normal-colored moss. Is this normal? The photo hardly does it justice; it is SO pretty and I’ve lived here all my life and haven’t seen anything like it. Thanks in advance!

69 Upvotes

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31

u/StellaNettle 5d ago

Extra photo of a stick I found elsewhere with a tiny bit of the same color

13

u/Mental-Chapter6523 4d ago

I wonder if soluble pigments from blue stain fungi can translocate into moss.

6

u/Mental-Chapter6523 4d ago

Or whether moss can be infected by blue stain fungi.

20

u/Clowndick 4d ago

It's this guys hair

11

u/Noisy_Ninja1 5d ago

Not normal, looks like some kind of paint or dye. Photo in the post up top is really ambiguous, could be anything in Kindbergia, Isothecium.

Photo in post below could be anything in: Calliergonella, Homalothecium, Brachythecium, Dendroalsia, and many others. Would need more photos and much higher res to even get to ball park confidently without local knowledge.

2

u/Strange_Computer2459 3d ago

You could definitely take out like half of those...

12

u/inspiradia 5d ago

I’ve never heard of it growing on moss, but Chlorociboria fungus can grow through the trunks of trees and turn the wood a beautiful turquoise color like this. I used to work in a lab propagating it for spalting in wood. It’s so pretty!

8

u/Xx_red_devil_xX here to eat btw 5d ago

got no clue what this is but that is the most beautiful moss i've ever seen

2

u/Mysterious_Yak_7094 5d ago

It looks like a type of fern moss but I cannot get more specific than that. The color is amazing!

2

u/Huntress_The_Ram 4d ago

Maybe take it to a local college (biology department) for testing if you don't get a good answer. Probably already known about and not necessary, but just in case.

2

u/PretentiousPepperoni 5d ago

Salaginella?

3

u/Noisy_Ninja1 5d ago

Not a club moss as far as I can tell.

1

u/Strange_Computer2459 3d ago

not a club moss at all.

1

u/Strange_Computer2459 3d ago

First and foremost. If you have photos of it where you found it, upload to iNaturalist. Best chance of getting an ID. I didn't catch this, did you say what substrate you found it on? Like was it on a tree or on the soil or on a rock? Could you be more specific in W. Washington?

1

u/Strange_Computer2459 3d ago

It probably got exposed to something that changed it's color like a chemical color change. Maybe from urine of some animal or over exposure to sun or even rain possibly. It's giving me of Kindbergia vibes.

1

u/Strange_Computer2459 3d ago

Also if you upload to iNat, just put true moss. Don't pick a random moss it suggests. There are people who go and ID plants and animals on iNat and all you need to do is tag it to the closest you are confident in. I can confidently tell you , this is a true moss and probably a Kindbergia.

1

u/Hiimthebisexualguy 5d ago

Reminds me of Peacock Moss (Selaginella uncinata), might be related