"It’s squishy, soft, spongy, and sometimes… PINK?!! Sphagnum moss is a wetland-building, carbon-absorbing, climate-regulating super plant!!

Found in wetlands across the Northern Hemisphere, this moss can absorb up to 20 times its weight in water! It slowly releases moisture to create the acidic, low-oxygen conditions that form peat. Peatlands are largely made of sphagnum, and cover just 3% of the Earth’s surface but store about 30% of the world’s soil carbon.

Some species, like red sphagnum moss, turns a beautiful pink or crimson colour due to a pigment called sphagnorubin, which protects them from harsh sunlight. The more pinky-red the moss appears, the more sun and UV exposure receiving.

I encountered this beautiful pink coloured sphagnum moss while hiking the Lone Cone Trail on Meares Island, British Columbia while adventuring with Ahous Adventures.

#naturalist #biodiversity #moss #tofino #pnwhiking"