If a tree bark is deeply grooved with shaded crevices, moss can thrive there too. Moss will also grow on tree roots, close to the woodland floor.
But trees offer other benefits to help mosses colonise and flourish. Tree bark is rough and irregular, and these cracks and crevices provide protected micro habitats.
And the steep trunks of trees are relatively competition-free too. In fact, mosses and other plants and lichens that grow on and around trees are an important part of biodiversity. They include our weirdest and most wonderful creatures such as rotifers, tardigrades and nematodes.
Tardigrades, sometimes known as water bears, are some of the toughest animals known. Mosses also shelter invertebrates like woodlice and molluscs that are food for birds and small mammals.
They have a natural anti-freeze which means they can tolerate very low temperatures. And when other vegetation dies off and leaves fall, moss is often greener and more noticeable during these colder, wetter months. They can even continue their reproductive cycles. So winter is a great time to get out and explore their diversity.
Go on a moss hunt and explore the theory. During the summer the leaves of deciduous trees, which drop their leaves in winter, provide shade to help retain moisture.
During the winter leaf drop allows more sunlight through. Lichens will attach and grow where moisture and sunlight are appropriate for photosynthesis to manufacture carbohydrates for sustenance. When they are found on dead or dying branches, particularly when accompanied by thinning of the tree crown, they have located themselves because of the geater availability of light from leaf drop.
A resident brought in some branches of a redbud Cercis spp. All of the leaves had visible signs of downy mildew. The resident noted that the top of the tree was losing leaves. The conditions described are a good example of the presence of lichen providing an alert that trouble may be arising and should be evaluated.
Redbud should not be dropping canopy leaves right now. Canopy die-back is a warning of a potential disease for the species. The presence of downy mildew indicates another stressor, a moisture excess, that allowed a fungal infection to advance but not from the lichen. We provided a list of certified arborists with the recommendation that the tree be evaluated on site for stressors including insect, disease, or environmental. Removal of dead branches to encourage new growth, or cultural change in watering or fertilizing might help the tree, but a tree expert needs to assess the cause.
You may have heard that lichens indicate good air quality. This is true. It is not true that lichen favor the North side of trees. Moss favor the shady side of trees and lichen is not moss. Because of this, moss can grow anywhere that it is wet enough. Trees, in particular, provide a good growing surface because tree bark typically has a lot of grooves and crevices, which are good places for moss spores to take root, the Woodland Trust reports.
Plus, not many other plants can grow on a vertical surface like a tree trunk, so they don't have to compete for growing space. Mosses use trees and other surfaces simply as a foundation to grow, according to the Extension. They don't siphon off water or nutrients from their hosts, so they can grow on them without causing any harm.
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