The year of moss: day 10

I recently learned that the only known population of Sphagnum on the Canterbury Plains is a 10 m2 patch of Sphagnum cristatum at Styx Mill in Christchurch. Naturally, I then decided to go for a bike ride to visit this patch of Sphagnum. I failed to find the Sphagnum (this photo is from a while ago, up near Arthur’s Pass). I did, however, have a very nice bike ride in the torrential rain. You may have heard of Sphagnum in the context of its commercial harvest. Sphagnum harvest is a major industry on the West Coast, and most of the moss harvested belongs to the species Sphagnum cristatum. Sphagnum is used as a potting medium, and most of the Sphagnum harvested in Aotearoa gets exported to orchid nurseries in Japan. Sphagnum harvesting has been occurring in Aotearoa since the 1980s, and historic harvesting practices were very damaging to wetlands, often leading to the wetland transforming into a much drier, shrub-filled ecosystem. Modern practices are more sustainable, and legislation was introduced in 2020 to help ensure that sustainable practices are followed. All of the Sphagnum species, including Sphagnum cristatum, are very cool mosses, and it's important we conserve wetland habitats they inhabit
Cuteness: 9/10
Distinctiveness: 9/10
LMR: 9/10

Posted on October 25, 2024 10:49 PM by fuligogirl