The Intricate and Beautiful Work of Bryophytes

Bryophytes – mosses, liverworts, and hornworts – comprise a diverse group of plants that are often overlooked by naturalists and even professional botanists. New York State and the Finger Lakes region have a diverse bryophyte flora. Jon will give an overview of what Bryophytes are (and aren’t), a little bit about their biology and life cycles, and introduce us to the intricate beauty of these plants. We’ll talk about one group of mosses, the peatmosses (Sphagnum), that are of tremendous ecological importance because of their impacts on carbon accumulation and thereby, global climate (and they’re gorgeous).