MOSS
Mosses are very small , separate plants that grow close together , forming a sort of a carpet on rocks , trees , and on the ground . They grow like this to trap water for the moss to drink . Mosses come in lots of different shapes and colors . They also have very tiny leaves . Mosses can ’ t grow very tall because they can ’ t transport water very
high up to reach the higher parts of the plant . The Kiddle Encyclopedia for kids states that , “ The largest moss grows in New Zealand , and is about 30 cm tall .” Most mosses are much shorter than that , though .
You might have heard that you can figure out which way you ’ re going by looking at moss growing on the side of a tree . This is actually true , but only in the northern hemisphere . The Northern Hemisphere is on the northern side of the equator . Also , in dense forests , it doesn ’ t work due to the lack of sunlight . Mosses need lots of sunlight to grow and in dense forests , it doesn ’ t get much sun , so it is harder for moss to survive . This also makes the moss trick much less useful .
Not many animals eat moss , or can eat it . They don ’ t eat it because it is pretty hard to digest .
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It also doesn ’ t have a very high nutritional value , so there ’ s not much benefit to the animal if they did eat it . Some animals , like reindeer , eat moss . This is because it has a chemical inside it that warms up their blood . Mosses are used for purposes other than eating too , that are used much more . Some will be listed later on .