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If you’re the person who goes on a field trip and looks down at the ground, then you shouldn’t miss the Rideau Valley Field Naturalists’ (RVFN) next meeting on Sunday, February 4. Mosses, or more accurately, bryophytes, will be the topic of the presentation by Jennifer Doubt, M.Sc., herbarium manager at the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Jennifer, a moss specialist, has been fascinated by these plants since childhood and has spent her career studying mosses, liverworts and hornworts. Ontario alone has over 700 species. While their tiny stature creates the illusion of mystery, mosses are recognized using their features similar to (if smaller than) those used to identify vascular plants. Many species are consistent in the areas they inhabit, a pattern that is readily turned to the moss-seeker’s advantage.
Some bryophytes are so rare the Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre tracks them and some are listed under the Canadian Species at Risk Act. One moss was recorded only twice, over 140 years ago, and never seen again.
Spring will be here soon, along with nature’s bounty of mosses, lichens and wildflowers. Join the RVFN for this meeting and whet your appetite for a spring walk in the woods.
The general public is invited to join the RVFN for their meeting at 2 p.m., Sun., February 4th, in the All-Purpose Room at the Perth and District Indoor Swimming Pool on Wilson Street at Sunset Boulevard. There is a small admission fee of $5.00 for non-members.