I love this stuff! What is it? Does anyone know? I grows on big sandstone boulders. When it's wet and cool like the current weather, it turns a rich emerald green like in the photo. When it's hot and dry, it gets a crispier feel and is gray instead of green. It's like thick, thick carpet. In spite of this being in a spot on the property we call rattlesnake hill where poison ivy, briars, thorny and sting producing plants are plentiful, it always makes me want to shed my shoes and go barefooted. Can some of it be scraped off, moved and enticed to grow to grow?

It looks like a moss to me; I don't know what kind, but I'm pretty sure you could transplant some.

I agree, it's a moss, but no idea of the name of it. I've rescued some from forests and successfully grown it in terrariums since we are in a very dry climate. I put it in moisture holding soil, and occasionally sprayed it with water. If you have a shady moist area, you could transplant some it. It is beautiful, and you seem to have a lot of it!

I agree, it's moss. Most mosses are great for ground cover in shady areas. They like water. You can transplant some in a rather large area by spacing it out and it will spread and fill in. You can find different types in the woods and create a lovely moss garden of several species. It's also great to plant in the spaces between walkway stones. Again, it will spread and fill in so you don't need a whole lot of it. Just scrape some off of the rocks, be sure to get a little of the soil as well (yes, it is under there). Slap it on the bare ground under a tree where nothing else will grow and it should do just fine. I also love to feel different types of moss. Keep an eye out next time you are hiking a trail in the woods. Its a prolific plant and there are many different types. Happy hunting and good luck!

@Jmrigsby! It really is fun playing with mosses.Where are you located? You can fill out your profile so people will be more able to answer your questions if you have them.

Hmm... I just did a search and could not find what I was looking for. It might be star moss. We have it on our land here. We have two that look just like this. I cannot remember the other ones common name. It can be relocated but will go dormant just like you have witnessed on your rattle snake hill. What are you doing walking around in the rain and rattle snakes?

Thank you everyone for the responses! I'm going to try then. I did a Google search using moss and came up with some methods, but not the best time to make the attempt. (I was rather partial to the buttermilk, water and moss in a blender and then poured or brushed one the surface of where you want it to grow . A blender! Must be a tough little plant), I'm not as confident of success as some sites make it sound, though.

@Jmrigsby and thanks for the directions. I have a concrete planter which I wish were covered with it, but I also have some large sandstone rocks that I use and generally are in the shade with drippy containers above them. They aren't huge boulders like those seen in the photos, but they'd probably get more moisture throughout the season since I grow so many plants that need extra H2O.

@Esperanza I love the rain. I did walk in it several times today, but the photo was taken yesterday before the rain event today. It's been a wet October. It's odd about the moss. There are other areas with the sandstone boulders, but the moss only grows on a stretch that essentially overlooks the river facing the north. I don't know why it doesn't grow on the others, but it never has. Lots of lichen type growth on all of them. Some of that's cool too. If I knew how to establish it, the lichen growth might work better for the concrete planter. I think because I'm always traipsing around the property, I don't attempt to utilize a lot of plants I like here at the house. Of those I have tried, my success has only been so-so.

Well what a coincidence! I spent a little time outdoors yesterday prior to the heavy rain. And what did I see? Moss growing on some broken concrete in my neighbor's driveway. (The house is vacant.) After staring at it in amazement, I picked at it a little. I'm thinking it would require some very patient scraping and even then I don't know if it's got much soil underneath it. I do have plenty of shady, barren areas where I could try transplanting it. Why don't you do it first and let me know how it goes?

There's also some lichen but I probably have some of my own if I looked closely.

Ok then. I see we're both in Zone 8a. So keep me posted.

Took some pictures of the moss in the broken concrete in my neighbor's driveway. Some of it was creeping over to my side also. I don't think Donald and I have the same type of moss. But my pics were shot very close up so could be hard to compare. Nevertheless, I'm interested in whether and where I might be able to transplant it to.






Think I'll take another picture but not a close up.

Looks like creeping thyme.

I agree; it does not look like moss - very pretty though.

Re: where to plant it... I had a similar moss grow on my brick patio which remained shaded most of the time. From that experience, I would say Don't plant it anywhere you will walk! It gets very slippery. I ended up scraping it up with a flat blade shovel.

Ok. So is this moss?



And do y'all think this is thyme? Or just an everyday unwanted plant aka weed? It borders the 'moss' I originally posted a picture of.

It's not a weed if you want and like it. A lot of garden plants are just re-purposed weeds. On a trip to Washington one time I saw a tractor with a front-end loader removing ferns from a pasture. They were obviously clearing them in the way I remove prickly pears and mesquites and other unwanted vegetation in my pasture. But the ferns would have cost big bucks here in Texas. They were big and beautiful.

I've been distracted by the cattle and other things, so I haven't attempted to move any of the moss. I'm not sure how to approach doing it. It's really at its best during the winter months and doesn't seem affected by freezes, so from now through March may be a good time to attempt it. I have a plentiful source when I get ready to try it.

Bubbles said:Looks like creeping thyme.

I agree that it looks like creeping thyme. I've planted it in the past, and currently have a little patch that I planted a few weeks ago. Very similar.

As far as moss goes, this is what I have been told to do if you want it growing on Moss rock: Scrape off moss from another location , put it into a blender with some buttermilk. Pour over Moss Rocks.

I have never tried it. My Moss Rocks grow soft Moss Fern on their own.





ETA: I think I've earned a pedicure!!