Sand mound of leafcutting ants in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus (Campylium chrysophyllum, or "Golden Feather-Moss"). The giveaway is the way the tiny leaves are sitting on the stem. They are strongly squarrose, meaning they bend outward and backward from the stem at sharp angles. This gives the branch tips a distinctively bristly or "starry" appearance when you look right down them, which is the defining field mark of the Campylium/Campyliadelphus genus. Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus (Campylium chrysophyllum, or "Golden Feather-Moss") in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Basal rosette of lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata) in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Fissidens (pocket moss), likely F. taxifolius or may be F. adianthoides, F. bushii. It is uniquely recognizable by its distichous leaf arrangement - leaves in two opposite, flat ranks along the stem, creating a distinctive fern-frond-like silhouette. Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Rosette of hairy leaves of beaked hawkweed (Hieracium gronovii) on Lake Trail in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Slender Starburst Moss (Atrichum angustatum). The striking bronze, copper, or rusty-brown color is completely normal for this time of year. Mosses in this family often take on these deep reddish-brown or golden hues during the cold or dry months. The moss is in its winter dormancy state. Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Entodon seductrix (often called Seductive Entodon Moss or Cord Glaze Moss). The leaves are tightly pressed against the stems (imbricate) rather than sticking out. This makes the branches look like smooth, pale green to yellowish cords or tiny rat tails, which is the defining field mark of the Entodon genus. Scattered throughout the mat are the reproductive structures (sporophytes). They consist of thin, wiry, dark brick-red or mahogany stalks (setae) topped with small cylindrical capsules. The presence of these mature red sporophytes is very common for Entodon seductrix in the winter and early spring. Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
A close look at the distinctive, bristly texture of a Pincushion Moss (Leucobryum species) found near Lake Trail at Fort Boggy State Park. While often casually identified as Leucobryum glaucum, this is almost certainly its southern sister species, Leucobryum albidum (White Pincushion Moss), which is much more common in East Texas. The moss gets its pale, frosted-green color from a unique leaf structure: the outer layers consist of large, clear, hollow cells that hide the green chlorophyll beneath. When it rains, these empty cells fill with water and turn the cushion bright green; when dry, they fill with air, giving the plant a silvery-white appearance. Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Grove Earwort (Scapania nemorea (L.) Grolle subsp. nemorea) in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Close-up of liverwort Grove Earwort (Scapania nemorea (L.) Grolle subsp. nemorea) in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Male plant of the liverwort Asterella tenella (Delicate Starwort). The strange, bright green, elevated, wart-like cushions sitting right on top of the leaves (thalli) are the male reproductive structures, called antheridial pads or male receptacles. Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Liverwort Asterella tenella (Delicate Starwort) in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
A diverse bryophyte community colonizing disturbed soil on a pipeline corridor. The scene is dominated by a dense, dark-green carpet of pioneer mosses (likely Weissia controversa or Ceratodon purpureus). Scattered throughout are the distinct, pale green, pear-shaped capsules of Bonfire Moss (Funaria hygrometrica), a classic indicator of disturbed or burned ground. In the center, you can see the bluish-green, star-shaped rosettes of a Crystalwort (Riccia species), identifiable by their deep central grooves and dichotomous branching. Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
A rich multi-species bryophyte community on the disturbed bare soil (pigtail moss Weissia controversa, capsule-bearing moss Bryum or Pohlia species) in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Almost certainly Ceratodon purpureus — commonly known as Fire Moss or Redshank. It is the quintessential colonizer of exposed, compact, bare mineral soil. Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Asterella tenella (Delicate Starwort), Maturing Male Receptacles. The pads have expanded into very prominent, bright apple-green, rounded "buttons". Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Tunnel Trail in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
A cluster of small saprotrophic mushrooms (Deconica montana complex) fruiting within a distinctly dead, brown patch of Atrichum moss on the median of Campbell Trail Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
An ecological observation from the median of Campbell Trail: a cluster of small saprotrophic mushrooms (Deconica sp., likely an undescribed small-spored species in the Deconica montana complex) fruiting within a distinctly dead, brown patch of Atrichum moss. While it might appear that the fungus killed the moss, the relationship is saprotrophic. Members of the Deconica genus are decomposers with a well-known affinity for mosses in the Polytrichaceae family (such as Atrichum and Polytrichum). It is highly probable that a localized disturbance on the trail median killed this specific patch of moss first. Once the Atrichum died, the underground fungal mycelium colonized the newly available decaying moss tissue, eventually producing the fruiting bodies seen here. Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Small saprotrophic mushrooms (Deconica montana complex) fruiting within a distinctly dead, brown patch of Atrichum moss on the median of Campbell Trail in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Side view of small saprotrophic mushrooms (Deconica montana complex) on the median of Campbell Trail in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Underside of small saprotrophic mushrooms (Deconica montana complex) on the median of Campbell Trail in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Close-up of small saprotrophic mushrooms (Deconica montana complex) on the median of Campbell Trail in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Spring Pinkgill mushrooms (Entoloma vernum) on Campbell Trail in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
A species of Riccia - specifically, it looks very much like Riccia beyrichiana (Purple Crystalwort) or Riccia dictyospora in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Close-up of Riccia, may be Riccia beyrichiana (Purple Crystalwort) or Riccia dictyospora in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
Close-up of Riccia, may be Riccia beyrichiana (Purple Crystalwort) or Riccia dictyospora among mosses on Campbell Trail in Fort Boggy State Park. Leon County, Texas, February 21, 2026
