Week 15
If I wish to find anyone who is working or visiting my land, and there are plenty of nooks and hiding places, I go to one spot - The Mossarium. It is a portion of my land I have dedicated to mosses, an idea that would be normal in Japan[i] but, where I live now is seen as different. Even I thought it was odd until I realised how comforting moss can be. Interior designers often recommend it for buildings[ii], let alone outdoors. Moss absorbs sound wonderfully and has a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC)[iii] of 0.99[iv], which is almost as good as one can be. The NRC scale is from zero, where there is no sound absorption, to 1.0 when 100% of sound is absorbed. No wonder moss is good for thinking, excellent for relaxation, and why The Mossarium is where I find people easing up.
It is not just people, but animals as well. Through The Mossarium I have seen pine marten wander, domestic cats stroll, boisterous dogs relax, young children ponder, grass snakes slither, builders eating lunch, frogs and toads trying not to be seen, deer nibble, badgers scratch, hedgehogs plod, pigeons peck, pheasants squawk, and plenty more besides. In a way I had not anticipated, The Mossarium is where it is at.
Moss grows well in Lakeland, thanks to acidic soil, copious rainfall, and often poor sunlight. Moss adores the lot. I can deprive it of sun, yet it recovers. I can immerse it under water, and it emerges unscathed. I can bake it in a heatwave, and it will desiccate, but the moment a raindrop falls it will recover. It turns greener in the sun, darker when it is shady, and some will even glow in the dark[v]. Whatever I do, however bad my outdoor knowledge, the experiments I try that fail, moss keeps going. It allows me to be worse than bad.
Visitors to my land, and these days there are plenty, are encouraged to bring a piece of moss and transplant it. So far, I have found a spot for all. When they plant the moss they make a wish, be it good, bad or indifferent. I then look after their transplant. The result has been The Mossarium carries moss from throughout the land, most has taken, small pieces have not. There are an estimated at least 10,000 different kinds of moss in the world, with many having exceptional medicinal properties and a few behaving like cannabis[vi]. Moss can also remove a large quantity of carbon dioxide from the air, as well as absorb harmful toxins and minerals from the soil[vii]. Its antiseptic properties led to its use in both World Wars as a wound dressing, too. Sphagnum moss can absorb up to 20 times its own volume of liquids, and that includes blood and pus[viii].
When it comes to carbon, moss is hard to beat. Mosses, algae and lichens take up 14 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year and fix 50 million tons of nitrogen in the soil annually[ix]. A small moss lawn can absorb more carbon than 275 mature trees, as well as producing a ton of oxygen, absorbing air pollutants, preventing soil erosion and run-off, and it rarely requires weeding. It is also said that moss can attract fairies and other mythical creatures, but that is a different story[x].
A downside, which I cannot avoid, is that moss needs occasional cleaning, which can take time. Leaves love it, so by autumn the moss can be covered, although a gentle brush or electric leaf blower is all that is needed. It is also said that moss cannot be walked on but that is not my own experience, and most mosses can easily tolerate light foot traffic[xi]. I simply walk on it, enjoy its springy feel, and have had no troubles from doing that.
It is a simple fact that The Mossarium is a remarkable spot on my land and the last place I should disrupt or disturb.
The tadpole count in my pond is diminishing rapidly. A week ago I saw plenty but now there is a mere handful. Mostly, I blame the blackbirds. Immediately beside the disappearing tadpoles are several yellow plants with an unattractive name - the Western skunk cabbage[xii]. The name is accurate, as the plant is extremely smelly, and grows very slowly yet is still an attractive addition to the pond. Pollinators love it, and it has many medicinal and culinary uses. Western skunk cabbage has been used as a treatment for burns and injuries, its leaves make a good bandage, its sap can cure ringworm[xiii], and when the leaves are eaten, they taste spicy and peppery.
Lesser celandine[xiv], a small yellow flower, is also beginning to appear in strength. It is an invasive species, which by my definition means it grows well, outgrowing many others. Stripy Lawners try to eliminate it and it features on the list of most hated species[xv]. Lesser celandine can be poisonous to some animals, is said not to grow well when the soil is acidic, and yet the flowers on my land are beginning to spread crazily, for reasons I do not understand. The problem it creates is that its leaves appear in late winter and form a thick mat that can prevent the growth of almost everything else. Lesser celandine also has medicinal value, is said to be an excellent treatment for piles, and for perineal damage after childbirth. Neither, at this stage, are relevant to me but may certainly be of value to others.
I am worrying about my loft as I am certain I have company. I am used to the sound of scurrying feet that suggest a mouse or rat, but this is more of a padding sound, with an occasional thump. I hear it most nights. To me it sounds mammalian, but I do not have the courage to find out. Most likely, whatever it is will be breeding and is using my loft for the process. The mice and rats have long gone outdoors, as the weather is now warmer. Doubtless I will discover what it is in due course, once I have the courage to look. For the moment I am in the room below, while “it”, whatever “it” may be, pads about above me. We both know where we are, but neither wants to disturb the other. For me, that is a perfect arrangement. Different animals can occupy roof spaces[xvi]. My money is on pine marten, mink, stoat or weasel. I am not about to find out.
Insects are slowly appearing, with bumblebees[xvii] in the advance guard. They are the white-tailed variety, Bombus lucorum, that is already feeding hard and is likely to be around until autumn. An ant’s nest has also materialised in the last few days. It is small and a hive of activity for the, I think, yellow meadow ants[xviii] that I can see near the nest. In southern England, these can protect the larvae of the chalkhill blue butterfly[xix], although I doubt I will see that in Lakeland. The ants also forage below ground level on small insects and mites that stray into their tunnel. The small earth mound on the surface, the so-called ant’s nest, is fine soil excavated for the underground nest that is being built for the queen ants. Queen ants may be incredibly long-lived. Thirty years has been reported[xx]. And the workers, that labour hard to keep the queen going? They are also female, although cannot reproduce. If they make it to seven years[xxi], they are doing brilliantly.
My land has awoken. Spring has truly arrived and plenty else besides.
***
Acknowledgement
Take it from me - none of this would be possible without the help of RSG Horticulture. Rufus, who runs it, has far more energy than me and is full of ideas and skills.
References [i] Heeger S. A world apart: moss in Japan’s gardens. See https://www.gardendesign.com/japanese/moss.html. Accessed 2 May 2023 [ii] 3 benefits of using preserved moss in commercial interior design. See https://polarmoss.fi/preserved-moss-in-commercial-interior-design/#:~:text=Moss%20provides%20a%20calming%20and%20soothing%20effect.,a%20sense%20of%20well%2Dbeing. Accessed 2 May 2023 [iii] NRC ratings: what is a Noise Reduction Coefficient? See https://www.audimute.com/nrc-ratings-noise-reduction-coefficient. Accessed 2 May 2023 [iv] How acoustic comfort can change our indoor experience. See https://greenoasis.com/acoustic-comfort-with-moss/. Accessed 2 May 2023 [v] Schistostega pennata, also called goblin gold or Dragon’s gold. Outcompeted by other mosses in sunny areas but in the dark there is little to touch it. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schistostega#:~:text=Schistostega%20pennata%2C%20also%20called%20goblin,member%20of%20the%20family%20Schistostegaceae. Accessed 2 May 2023 [vi] Magical moss: plant may have many health and medicinal benefits. See https://gardenculturemagazine.com/magical-moss-plant-may-have-many-health-and-medicinal-benefits/. Accessed 2 May 2023 [vii] Benefits of moss. See https://web.asu.edu/newblog/benefits-moss#:~:text=Medicinal%20Benefits%20of%20Moss&text=It%2Cs%20gaining%20global%20attention,high%2C%20unlike%20cannabis%20or%20marijuana. Accessed 2 May 2023 [viii] Ayres P. Wound dressing in World War I – The kindly Sphagnum Moss. See https://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FB110_Ayres_Sphagnum.pdf. Accessed 2 May 2023 [ix] Tips C. See https://www.quora.com/Can-a-square-meter-of-moss-absorb-more-CO2-than-a-mature-tree-Ive-been-intrigued-by-the-CityTree-claims-that-a-moss-wall-sinks-as-much-CO2-as-275-trees. Accessed 2 May 2023 [x] Ashe C. Moss lawns: saving the planet one yard at a time. 1 July 2020. See https://www.theoxygenproject.com/post/moss-lawns-saving-the-planet-one-yard-at-a-time/. Accessed 2 May 2023 [xi] The moss garden is the easy, eco-friendly alternative to having grass – and it's almost maintenance-free. See https://www.homesandgardens.com/news/moss-garden#. Accessed 2 May 2023 [xii] Lysichiton americanus. Banned from sale in the UK in 2016 and gardeners are being urged to eliminate the thing as it is so invasive. First introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant in 1906 and first recorded in the wild in Surrey in 1947. See https://www.gov.uk/government/news/invasive-species-week-american-skunk-cabbage-creates-a-stink. Accessed 6 April 2023. [xiii] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysichiton_americanus. Accessed 6 April 2023. [xiv] Ficaria verna. Can be a threat to native wildflowers and has a developmental advantage as it appears so early. Native plants can be displaced and the ground can be left barren and susceptible to erosion. It has a long, 6-month dormancy phase. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficaria_verna. Accessed 6 April 2023. [xv] Most hated plants lesser celandine. See https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/most-hated-plants-lesser-celandine.html. Accessed 2 May 2023 [xvi] Can you hear noises in your loft space? See https://www.andylawpestcontrol.co.uk/can-you-hear-noises-in-your-loft-space/. Accessed 2 May 2023 [xvii] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee. There are 250 species in the genus Bombus. Accessed 6 April 2023. [xviii] Lasius flavus. See https://www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/garden-problem/ants. Accessed 6 April 2023. [xix] Polyommatus coridon. Found on chalk grasslands in southern England. Protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. See https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/butterflies/chalkhill-blue. Accessed 6 April 2023. [xx] The secrets of royalty: amazing facts about queen ants. See https://www.terro.com/articles/queen-ants#:~:text=For%20one%20thing%2C%20queen%20ants,to%20a%20year%20or%20two. Accessed 2 May 2023. [xxi] How long do ants live? See https://www.pestdefence.co.uk/news/how-long-do-ants-live/#:~:text=For%20the%20queen%20in%20any,avoid%20predators%20and%20other%20dangers. Accessed 2 May 2023.
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