A park ranger in Portland changed how I see moss forever

Last Saturday I was at Washington Park and this ranger, maybe 60, stopped to point at a patch of moss on a rock. He said, "You're looking at a city older than any human one," and talked about how some moss colonies there are thought to be decades old, just slowly spreading. It hit different because I always saw moss as a weed, but now I can't walk past a damp sidewalk without crouching down to check its texture. Has anyone else had a random conversation that totally flipped your view on a plant you ignored for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

white.keith17d ago

That "city older than any human one" line is the kind of thing that sticks with you. But I gotta ask, did the ranger say anything about how those moss colonies actually spread that slow? Like, is it just a few millimeters a year, or does it depend on the species and the spot? I've been crouching by my own damp gutters lately, and I'm curious if the ones I'm looking at could be older than my house, or if they're just a few bad seasons old. Seems like the difference between a real ancient thing and a fresh patch would change how you see it.

the_ben17d ago

Oh man, that ranger thing reminds me of the time I tried to grow moss on purpose once. Bought some "instant moss" powder online, and it just sat there looking like dirty dust for three months before doing literally nothing. As for your gutters, I'd bet most of them are just a few years of grime and rain, but the real old stuff tends to be the stuff that's so deep in the shade you almost trip over it. And honestly, if it's attached to your house, it's probably younger than your roof, but that doesn't make it any less fun to stare at while you're supposed to be cleaning it.