This moss likes bare, burnt ground. In March small green, pointed orbs appear tightly arranged in large mats (B). Soon spikes shoot up (C) and by the end of March, tangles of stalks with thin, pointed capsules cover the ground in yellowish-green cushions (D,G). By April the capsules mature and thicken (E) and they soon drop their pointed calyptra. The stalks and capsules later turn a burnt orange (A) and often remain so through the winter (F) until the next growing season – see the single orange stalk with new growth in images (E).
Grows on recently burnt ground. Look where underbrush had recently been cleared and burned to restore the Oak Savanna on the upland ridges in Fontenelle Forest.
The tangles are formed by the stalks twisting in response to changes in humidity, reflecting part of its scientific name (hygrometrica). The overwintering orange stalks (F) remind us of the art nouveau lamp posts in Paris.
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