bryophyte field experience

to see where we have been, and what we have been doing, Check out previous and future bryophyte workshops.

This page is the starting point for investigating opportunities to learn the basic skills used in the identification of several specialized plant groups, namely bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, hornworts), grasses, sedges, and rushes (the graminoids). Bryophyte identification workshops have been ongoing for several years, initially through the Texas Master Naturalist’s Annual Meetings, and more recently at field sites primarily in east Texas. The addition of grasses, sedges, and rushes to the curriculum has broadened the scope of workshops to include families that are prevalent in many Texas landscapes, but are often perceived as being difficult to identify.

Workshops are offered throughout the year with the primary emphasis being in the late winter, spring, and early summer. The cooler and damper times of the year are generally reserved for bryophytes, since these organisms are at their best (in the field) during this time. The graminoids are usually better in late spring and into the summer. These workshops are designed to equip the participant with skills to confidently identify these plants independently. The format of the workshops consist of lecture and laboratory sessions, and includes ample time in the field to learn field identification characteristics and ecology in situ.

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that without a doubt bryophytes are my passion, or more likely an obsession. After a number of years of teaching these workshops at the Texas Master Naturalist’s Annual Meetings, I have decided to restructure this program to offer a series of essentially cumulative workshops, culminating in what is referred to as the Texas BryoVenture. The descriptions below will explain the levels of knowledge required for each workshop. This should help you to understand the nature of each level and what you can expect to gain from the experience. Ideally interested participants should start with the basic workshop and progress through to participation in Texas Bryoventure. This sequence should give the participant the knowledge and skills needed to begin making identifications and contributing to our knowledge of Texas bryophytes.

Introduction to bryophytes

This is a truly introductory class which is typically taught in conjunction with the TMN Annul Meeting in October. However, if there is enough interest, I am willing to teach this class to any interested group at other times during the year Typically this introduction is about four hours and can easily be completed over the course of a long morning. This session begins with a lecture, followed by slides of selected species of bryophytes, and ends with microscope work to examine specimens using a dissecting microscope. In this workshop we will learn the basics of bryophytes, to include topics such as: ecology, distribution and dispersal, substrates, communities, life cycle and reproduction, etc. This session will set the stage for future levels of instruction.

bryophyte morphology

Building on the basic ecology, etc., from the introductory class, this session will focus on two primary tasks 1) morphology of the sporophyte and gametophyte of all three groups (mosses, liverworts, hornworts), and 2) field collection methods. The field collection methods section will teach the basics of collecting and documenting bryophytes in the field, from different substrates and in different habitats. This introduction will stress the need for a quality specimen, in addition to the appropriate data parameters required to create a research quality specimen. These specimens and associated data will then be utilized in the lab to learn the basic morphology of vegetative and reproductive structures. This is usually a two day workshop that requires a two-night stay at the selected field site. Typically arrival is on Friday afternoon or evening and includes a short time in the field to begin making collections. This is followed by a lecture to learn morphological characters used for identification in the evening. Saturday morning is back in the field and then more lab practice in the afternoon. Sunday morning is spent at an interesting site to practice the skills learned before leaving for home shortly after lunch.

field collection and identification of bryophytes

This workshop is where participants really begin to apply the skills acquired in the previous levels by learning the subtle nuances involved in identification of bryophytes microscopically. Using field collections, the specimens are dissected and mounted on slides for examination under both dissecting and compound scopes. Key character states are determined through the examination of growth habit, leaf and stem cross-sections, spores, and other features used to navigate through the keying process. This is a long three day workshop which begins on Friday and runs through Sunday afternoon. The goal of this final workshop in the series is to adequately equip the participant with skills to join others in the field for Texas BryoVenture.

Texas Bryoventure

The study of bryophytes and lichens in Texas has been intermittent at best for many, many years.  Therefore, much of the state is still largely under explored, and in many areas literally unexplored, leaving substantial portions of the state with no documented collections whatsoever.  Much of this gap in the knowledge of the state's bryophyte flora is due to the overwhelming size of the state, and the realization that over 97% of the state is private property.  This makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to gain access to properties for observing these organisms, much less making collections. 

The primary goals of Texas BryoVenture are basically fellowship among like-minded professionals and amateurs, to document the distribution of bryophytes throughout the state of Texas, and to foster a broader appreciation of these often overlooked components of our environment.  The group will meet several times throughout the year to conduct field work at different locations throughout the state, and at other times will assemble in the lab (herbarium) to process specimens, complete identifications, prepare reports, and curate the collections.