Picture of the day - June 1, 2005

A Mossy Log

Today's picture features a fallen log covered with a thick layer of log moss. I found this mossy log while walking through the woods in the Jefferson National Forest's Backbone Rock National Recreation Area just across the Tennessee state line from nearby Damascus, Va. Log moss and ginseng were two of the mountain products that my family gathered in order to supplement our income as I was growing up. One of my most vivid childhood memories is seeing the entire yard carpeted with sections of log moss, root-side up, laid out to dry under the hot sun. Log moss was gathered by many Appalachian mountain families in the early and mid 1900's as a means of raising much needed cash. Times were hard back then, and the entire family had to pitch in to help put food on the table and shoes on the kids' feet. The moss was carefully pulled from decaying logs in as large sections as possible, folded and placed into hemp sacks, then carried out of the mountains back to the house. The sections were then laid out upside down so the sun could dry everything out. After the moss was dry, it was baled and hauled to an herb buyer who would weigh it and pay cash by the pound for it. It was then re-sold to florists, craftsmen and anyone else who happened to have a use for log moss! There is little harvestable log moss to be found on private property these days. Like the moss featured in today's photo, most of what's left is in America's National Forests where it's protected and preserved for future generations to see when they visit our woodlands.   Picture Of The Day Homepage | Submit a photo Interesting Articles