D110-2012 ferns type C (one of four types) Heathdale area Something about the way the fronds of this fern unfurl, curving backward as it were, suggest a creature that is stretching upon being awakened from a long winter's sleep. The body language of ferns. Another tiny fly makes its appearance in this shot. Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor, Michigan April 20, 2012 (nex5n)

In addition to pictures I took specifically to illustrate mosses and ferns, there are photos here, collected from other galleries, that show some of the charming or picturesque ways in which mosses in particular, 'invade' various environments.

gallery pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 >

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Fern frond in the forest.

DP131-2013 Posted late May 11; taken and processed ditto

Kensington Metropark Nature Center trail.
Milford Township, MI
May 11, 2013
Another extremely late post. I have got to break myself of this habit, but it's too tempting to spend these days out and about. I'll catch up on commenting tomorrow, I hope. For those who are curious, I just applied the spherize distortion in photoshop to create this effect...sort of like looking through a magnifying glass. Sorry I don't know what kind of fern it is. It's a young frond, not fully developed, though.

D117-2013 Fern unfurling
.
Hidden Lake Gardens, Lenawee County, Michigan
April 27, 2013

D107-2013 Moss "in bloom"
Yes, I know that mosses aren't flowering plants. I'm far from being well versed in moss reproduction. I believe this is the sporophyte stage. I don't know the identity of the moss, either, but expect it's pretty common in North American hardwood forests.

Old Field Trail, Eddy Discovery Center, WRA
Washtenaw County, Michigan
April 17, 2013

D107-2013 Oak leaves, fern and arachnid (unID'd)

Old Field Trail, Eddy Discovery Center
Waterloo Recreation Area, Washtenaw County
April 17, 2013

Abstract in Green and Orange.
The emphasis in this version is on the vegetation, which certainly looks more like moss than algae.

Rusty sludge from a drainpipe that empties across the narrow strip of gravel under the bridge.

Additional images of this same feature are at: http://smu.gs/QDzzPa and http://smu.gs/QDzBqc

Huron River near the boundary between Gallup Park and Parker Mill Park, Ann Arbor, Michigan
October 23, 2010

Golden spore-bearing capsules (sporangia) rising above a fairly common leafy kind of moss found throughout our area. IHNC what genus or species it belongs to.

Crooked Lake
April 19, 2012
(nex5n)

D110-2012 ferns type A (one of four types)
Heathdale area

Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor, Michigan
April 20, 2012
(nex5n)

D110-2012 ferns type A (one of four types)
Heathdale area
Each emerging frond in this particular patch had two pairs of darkened leaflets. Another patch of this same type of fern lacked this feature though it was situated not more than a few hundred feet away in a similar location in terms of exposure to light, wind, and water. Closer examination of the dark 'leaflets' shows them to be comprised of tiny spherical blobs, not the usual flatter flesh of leaves. Are these reproductive features?

Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor, Michigan
April 20, 2012
(nex5n)

D110-2012 ferns type C (one of four types)
Heathdale area
Something about the way the fronds of this fern unfurl, curving backward as it were, suggest a creature that is stretching upon being awakened from a long winter's sleep. The body language of ferns.
Another tiny fly makes its appearance in this shot.

Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor, Michigan
April 20, 2012
(nex5n)