Third Nature Walk - Plants

This week I decided to venture into the Hammond Pond Reservation. It was a beautiful space with lots of natural biodiversity, but had clearly been cultivated with people in mind, as there were lots of paths and benches. On my walk, the most abundant taxa I found were the angiosperms, which makes sense as they have dominated in abundance since they have evolved. Since it was a relatively damp and shaded area, I found many Bryophyta along the ground, in crevices in rocks and trees, and most interestingly, along the top of tree branches. That fascinated me because the tree was providing shade to the moss, as they have a tendency to dry out, and moisture. I wonder if the moss provided any advantage to the tree. With a few of the mosses, I was able to spot sporophytes which was cool, as I thought it would be seasonal.

Posted on October 18, 2022 09:55 PM by wintermg