New Discovery At Quincy Bog, Rumney, NH; Observation and Appreciation of Club Mosses; Introduced by my naturalist friend Tammis Coffin; November 30, 2020

Last updated on December 7, 2020

After a hard freeze, before any snow

Club mosses- a plant type you might not know

Small evergreens, like miniature trees,

But they have spores, on clubs, few people see

In the fall, they are visible on sites

Depends on the species of lycophytes

 Rhizomes connecting the spikes BELOW ground

Runners connecting stalks ABOVE ground

Ancient life forms, seedless and flowerless

Dried spores are flammable, not powerless

These perennials brighten the landscapes

More than a dozen different types of shapes

Growing where forests are shaded and cool

Don’t harvest or pluck these, don’t be a fool

They take at least 10 years to germinate,

They were the source of coal, this was their fate,

Here from 200 million years ago

Losing species now would be quite a blow

Sitka and slender bog, so imperiled,

Biodiversity is our herald

The bright green club mosses such a contrast,

Standing against brown leaf litter so vast.