Last week I introduced readers to mosses — their ecological importance and some of the threats they face from collection and removal. But let’s explore some of the mosses that grow right here in the Columbia-Pacific region.

Before heading out to look for them, you may find a few things useful in your quest. I wish I could recommend a library of field guides, but unfortunately identification books dedicated to mosses are few. Most of those are focused on the eastern half of the United States.

“Mosses, Lichens and Ferns of Northwest North America” by Vitt, Marsh and Bovey is a rare exception. While the book is out of print, used copies are a solid reference with good photographs.

Bring along a hand lens or a magnifying glass. This will allow for a good, close-up look at moss and some of its individual structures. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see some of the denizens of a moss forest, like a tiny spider ambling by.

Plant identification apps can also help to identify animals, plants, fungi and other living beings by just a photo or sound file.

These programs create initial lists of suggestions, and some like iNaturalist also offer communities of users that help to identify findings. This is a great first line of inquiry when trying to figure out what moss you’ve got.

Start with the conifer forest floor, with diverse mix of hemlock, spruce and cedar. Lush green mosses in these forests, upon closer inspection, look something like feathers, especially the delicate plumes of ostriches. Many species look very similar to each other and are often only differentiated by minor details in structure.

One of the most common is Oregon beaked moss, which has rather a rather long, flowing appearance. It sometimes grows on living or dead trees. Find it growing near neat feather moss, which has branches that look more stubby and thick than the beaked moss. Stairstep moss is more wispy than the other two, with leaves that branch off twice rather than once.

Carpets of moss that look like they’re made of stacks of little green stars may be made of local haircap mosses. Another forest favorite is waved silk moss, which looks like a bunch of tiny green fuzzy cat’s tails and is one of the few mosses that will grow in shore pine and mixed conifer forests.

Look on a nurse log or snag to locate the relatively large, rounded leaves of fan moss, looking almost like a mass of tiny green flowers. One old-growth specialty is Menzies’ tree moss, best seen in mature forests at Cape Disappointment or Willapa National Wildlife Refuge.

Most of these mosses prefer a cool, damp environment. A notable exception is the square goose neck moss, a hardy variety found widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

It’s quite possible that this little light green moss may be out in your yard amid the grass right now. It looks rather like a bunch of tiny little pipe cleaners growing up out of the ground. A close look with a magnifying glass reveals its tiny pointed leaves.

Plenty of mosses besides these are waiting to be seen at the coast, but these are some favorites. Enjoy searching for these diminutive plants that are all too often overlooked.