Moss Paradise

This summer my wife and I traveled to Iceland, an ex tremely scenic and fascinating country. It is called ‘The Land of Fire and Ice,’ fire for the many volcanoes and ice for the glaciers. The volcanoes result in numerous lava fields, and the first plants to colonize these bare areas are mosses. Traveling on the south coast we passed miles and miles (actually kilometers and kilometers) of jagged lava covered with moss.

A very small part of the 232 square mile Eldraun Lava Field, covered with moss.

One of the most numerous of these pioneering mosses is the woolly fringe moss, Racomitrium lanuginosum. Other species are certainly present, along with a few fruticose lichens. Iceland reports 460 species of mosses, slightly more than Ohio’s nearly 400 species. One natural history museum that we visited had a section on mosses with various living examples along with narratives describing their importance. It’s not often that you see a moss museum.

In the areas that we visited, lichens were not nearly as abundant or conspicuous. We passed some areas where lichens could be seen but I didn’t think the bus driver would interrupt the schedule for a lichen stop. I did find one lichen product, ironically called Icelandic Moss, in a store. This is a fruticose species with several minor uses such as a soup or baking additive. It is sold dried, with a small box costing several dollars (see photo below).

So, if you want to add a moss paradise with many other attractions to your bucket list, I heartily recommend Iceland!

-text and photos by Ray Showman