Liverworts, and how to find them

I've noticed that a few liverworts are severely under-reported in Washington state. They really aren't all that uncommon, just very small and unlikely to be observed by anyone not looking for very small organisms. Lophocolea is an example of an actually incredibly common one; you can find them on maybe half the rotting logs in the forest, and occasionally on living trees. Radula complanata is also very common. You can find it on living trees, probably most easily noticed on the bare parts of vine maples. Lepidozia reptans is fairly prevalent too, found most easily on heavily decayed stumps, but it's very small and it can be hard to photograph the identifiable features, the three pronged "hands".

I'm writing this hoping it helps people find more of them! I've attached observations that include some close ups for identification and pictures of how they may look with the naked eye.

Posted on Μάρτιος 16, 2022 1142 ΜΜ by spinescence