Tag Archive moss

ByGD

Tussock

Iceland’s moss fields are not quite so famous – or so awe-inspiring – as it’s lava fields or volcanoes. But they are quite remarkable. The moss is the first thing that grows in the soil that forms from eroding lava rock. Even though it looks invitingly springy to walk on, it can take years for the moss to regrow from a single footprint. Iceland’s moss is like the new downy hair on a baby’s head – and you wouldn’t step on that, would you?

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Moss Wall

MossWall

 

In a country with no true forest, where volcanic activity has only recently allowed plants to begin to colonize many parts of the country, moss takes on special importance. Perhaps that explains this wall of Reykjavik’s City Hall building, where, on the day I visited, the dripping fibers of the moss had frozen overnight for the first time that fall.