My tree has had virtually no change since last month except for loosing all the catkins. The ground is covered with them in different stages of maturity. Here are some that I took inside to get some photos of.
Breaking a larger one open revealed a cross section of several compartments, filled with tiny black seeds. The smaller ones were dried up and seemed to be empty.
The picture, unfortunately didn't stay sharp for the close up but you can see some tiny seeds spilling out.
Since there was nothing else new with the Magnolia, I decided to concentrate a bit on the moss growing on the cherry tree next to it. Both trees had moss and lichens, but the moss was more predominant on the cherry tree and much more interesting.
This photo shows newer moss growth.
There about 12,000 species of mosses. They are flowerless plants belonging to the Bryophyta group. They grow mostly in shady, moist areas in clumps and have no seeds, roots, or vascular tissue. The leaves are simple, usually in a single layer of cells. They produce spore capsules on thin stalks. Notably, the Pacific Northwest rainforest is loaded with mosses, many of which hang off of the evergreen trees like long hair. They are an amazing sight to see!
Below is a drawing showing just a few of the many varieties of mosses.
I could only get your first photo to open ... lovely magnolia catkins, though!
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving this note, Caroline. The pictures should show up now.
ReplyDeleteHave re-visited now that Lucy has fixed the pictures. The moss drawing is extraordinary ... and good to see all that new mossy growth!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Caroline -- Haeckel's moss illustration is one of my all time favorite botanical illustrations. It looks magical for one thing! :)
ReplyDeleteThe catkins are a fascinating shape. Thanks for introducing me to the vibrancy of the Haeckel drawings.
ReplyDeleteI love the colour and shape of those catkins, especially the blue ones.
ReplyDeleteBut they look a bit like ammunition!
All the best :)