Green shield moss

You will need to put your nose close to the ground on old tree stumps, or where there are rotting branches in order to see this minute moss. It is considered as rare and as part of natural heritage. Prospection by the Ecrins National Park wardens is therefore under way. A protocol to determine the threshold for detection of the species has been put in place by statisticians. From April on, it is possible to detect it due to its “sporophytes”, small shiny green capsules that enclose the spores. In the Valbonnais sector, shield moss is very much present in the forests of north facing slopes.