Did you know Vermont is home to 26 species of clubmoss and they are found commonly worldwide? A frequent sight on hikes and walks if you know where to look for them, clubmosses are a charming plants with an enchanting history. In general, they prefer to grow in forested areas particularly where there are conifer trees growing. They often go unnoticed due to their small stature and are commonly mistaken for moss. Both moss and clubmoss have similar visual characteristics and tend to grow in similar habitats. However, clubmosses are more closely related to ferns than they are to moss.
Although the clubmosses we are familiar with tend to barely reach a foot tall, evidence suggests that between 290-350 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period, clubmosses were enormous and roughly the size of trees! Learn more about the enchanting world of clubmosses in Farm & Wilderness Conservation's most recent blog post.
(Adapted from the Conservation Blog - Click here for the full version on fwcvt.org)