During a 30 °C heatwave and no AC in my car, I chose to drive up to Kingsdale for a Moss ID course. I was pouring with sweat when I reached the hostel I’d be staying at the night before, wondering if the long hot drive had been worth it. Absolutely!

As a hobbyist ecologist, I didn’t have a specific learning goal, only that I wanted to start the process of learning some of the common mosses in the UK. As I drove from my hostel, the landscape slowly changed into the beautiful rolling hills of the English countryside I’ve come to love. The road grew narrower and more winding with only me and the occasional tractor. 

Arriving at Kingsdale Farm, I was greeted by Sam, the Training Officer, who welcomed me and showed me where to go as well, before meeting other people on the course. He told us the history of the area and the current efforts being made by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust through Yorkshire Peat Partnership. 

Once we were settled in the main room, we made our introductions and Beth, the moss specialist, kicked us off with a presentation on what to expect from the course, how to use the loupe* and ID books, how to collect a moss sample, and a brief introduction to moss anatomy and genera. We were then given a handout, a loupe, and an ID book before making our way up the hill. 

*a loupe is a magnifying hand lens

We looked at star mosses, springy turf mosses, and all the various sphagnum mosses. Beth went through the ID key with us, guiding us through each feature and explaining what we were looking at, which wasn’t easy with how tiny the moss leaves were and how fast they dried out under the heatwave sun. The descriptions of features – “hooded”, “boat-like”, “rolled like a cigar”, “drowned cat look” – were oddly specific in a way that actually made it harder to interpret, but we joked about it and were shown what these features were.

After identifying a few in the area we were in, we went a bit further up the hill to collect our own samples. I enjoyed spotting some other plants and invertebrates along the way: cotton grass, cross-leaved heath, bog cranberries, peacock butterfly, and Sciara hemerobioides. 

Although we had to cut the walk a bit short due to the heat, we made up for it after returning to the building, using the skills we learned to work through the ID key and identify our own samples. We were also shown how to use microscopes to see the cell structures, which is a more accurate way to ID moss. Beth brought myriad samples from her own collection as well as prepared slides for us to look at and see the differences. We were also given instruction and time to prepare our own slides, which as a kinaesthetic learner, I really appreciated. 

Before we left, we got to see the moss grow-house and all the types of moss that were being propagated for the peat restoration projects. The amount of dedication, work, and effort were admirable. 

Although I can’t say all the moss species we covered stuck in my head, I’ve definitely learned a lot about moss anatomy and the “how to” of moss identification, which I can practise on my walks around Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's reserves. 

I’m very glad to have made the journey to Kingsdale Head and met the team. It was definitely worth the long sweaty drive up and the long 35 °C drive back!