A Moss Girl’s Guide to Moss Viewing
Posted January 11, 2016 at 5:40 am by Peggy Sue McRae
Moss – Peggy Sue McRae photo
When I heard on BBC radio about the burgeoning phenomena of moss viewing in Japan I thought, I’m in the perfect place for this activity. In Japan treks into the woods to view moss have become very popular especially among young women. In popular forests local guides now offer moss themed tours.
You will want to bring a camera, a 10 X magnifying glass, and a moss photobook advises Hisako Fujii, author of A Moss Girl’s Guide to Japanese Moss Viewing. I didn’t let it stop me that I only had my camera. The key they say is to get in close for a good look. “… it reproduces by scattering spores away from its body, and the organs it has evolved to propagate these spores reveal designs so elaborate you might mistake them for some kind of experimental art” says Fujii.
Some enthusiasts bring a spray bottle to mist the moss. A cloudy day or light rain “brings out the texture of wet moss in its most vibrant condition”. We are bound to have plenty of perfect moss viewing weather right here.
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Categories: Around Here
One comment:
One comment...
How interesting. The Lopez Island Garden club is having a moss presentation at Woodman Hall on Thursday at 9:30 am. For more info. follow this link: http://www.salishrocks.org/page.php?type=item&menu_type=calendar&offset=2016-01-11&limit_rock=9&limit_key=&return=11&item_handle=1451418603
Maybe I’ll see you there.
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