Diario de spinescence

Moss is very small! This means you need detailed close-ups to tell what's going on. A wide shot of it can help to give context clues for the habitat, but without a detailed photo they tend to look like green blobs.

There will be some mosses that need very specific details to narrow it down to which species it belongs to, and some that need to be looked at under a microscope. However, zooming in and capturing what the little leaves look like can get you a long way. If you see a sporophyte coming from it, (ie the small stick with a ball/capsule on the end), that's also an important detail to record.

(Generic format for copy-paste onto undetailed moss observations. I would like to include pictures in the future.)

This data is from my own perspective, not based in scientific consensus. My search has mostly been in the lowlands, so the frequency of finding mid-high elevation liverworts is skewed. Aquatic/semi aquatic liverworts are also likely to be under-reported in my data. The frequency in which liverworts are found is greatly influenced by their ability to be perceived. Some are so small they are easily overlooked, even if searching specifically for them. Eventually I'd like to separate these by habitat too, as some are uncommon or rare, but abundant in the right conditions. This will be updated as I go.

Very common:
-Porella navicularis
-Radula complanata
-Lepidozia reptans
-Lophocolea bidentata
-Scapania bolanderi
-Riccardia

Those which I am less likely to find, but still see regularly:
-Cephaloziaceae (I will likely need a microscope to be 100% on any ID in this family)
-Chiloscyphus polyanthus
-Pellia neesiana
-Metzgeria (the naked one. still unsure which species)
-Frullania (nisquallensis?)
-Conocephalum complex salebrosum
-Calypogeia
-Jungermannia (rubra?)

Uncommon, but out there:
-Metzgeria pubescens
-Lophocolea heterophylla
-Lophozia
-Ptilidium californicum
-Bazzania
-Scapania americana
-Radula bolanderi
-Ricciocarpos natans
-Schistochilopsis incisa
-Plagiochilla porelloides
-Diplophyllum obtusifolium

Those which are rare, but I am likely to find in very specific habitats/locally abundant:
-Gymnomitrion obtusum
-Scapania umbrosa
-Marsupella

I've noticed that a few liverworts are severely under-reported in Washington state. They really aren't all that uncommon, just very small and unlikely to be observed by anyone not looking for very small organisms. Lophocolea is an example of an actually incredibly common one; you can find them on maybe half the rotting logs in the forest, and occasionally on living trees. Radula complanata is also very common. You can find it on living trees, probably most easily noticed on the bare parts of vine maples. Lepidozia reptans is fairly prevalent too, found most easily on heavily decayed stumps, but it's very small and it can be hard to photograph the identifiable features, the three pronged "hands".

I'm writing this hoping it helps people find more of them! I've attached observations that include some close ups for identification and pictures of how they may look with the naked eye.