Article by Carien de Wildt
My favourite colour, just like many students in Wageningen I have noticed, is green. It is a soothing colour, situated in the middle of the colours of the “visible spectrum” with a wavelength of around 555 nanometers. For comparison, blue and red are the extremes of the spectrum with wavelengths of around 400 and 700 nanometers respectively. This makes green an easy colour for our eyes to look at (Togher, 2023). Green is associated with many positive themes, which also improves our general love for the colour. It is linked to nature and sustainability, sometimes being used almost synonymously in terms like urban green spaces or the European Green Deal. It is considered to be the colour of spring and fertility, helping us get rid of those winter blues (MSEd, 2023).
This, and many other reasons, contribute to the movement of implementing more green into our public spaces. And I am all for it. I do not know who decided that concrete should be grey, but I do not like it. I love seeing colours in my day to day life, from murals to the small flowers growing between the grass. One of my most favourite things however, is discovering moss. Especially in places one would not expect.
There are around 12 000 different species of mosses, found in many different places and with many different names. Some of my personal favourites are Apple moss (Bartramia pomiformis) and the Common Liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha), although its Dutch name is the one I actually like (Parapluutjesmos, translated as ‘Umbrella moss’). Mosses belong to a group of plants called bryophytes, which are small, nonvascular, spore-bearing plants. It is easier to talk about the places they can not grow than the ones they can, as only too much salt or too little water are conditions they can not handle well (Schofield & Borden, 2025). This means they are a great option for making places greener where other plants would not fit.
Many green roofs mainly make use of species within the Sedum genus, often in combination with mosses and herbs. But recent studies are looking into the idea of (predominantly) moss based green roofs, as they might have a better water holding capacity in terms of percentage biomass in water (Prince, 2016). This means that the same amount of water can be held, but with less weight for the roof to carry. Which is good news, as the carrying load of roofs is often the limiting factor in deciding for a green roof. And more green roofs is good, as it would mean, well… more green!
Figure 1&2: Mosses climbing up the trees and within the tiniest cracks. (Source: Carien de Wildt, 2025)
Now, the part I love most about mosses is that once you start looking for them, you can see them everywhere! In between the grass, on top of stones or on the sides of trees. Simply while on the way to the grocery store, I was able to find some cool mosses (picture 1). The moss starts at the base of the tree, almost completely covering the roots. As if it were climbing, it has spread upward along the bark. Another one of my favourites that I walk past on the way to the store, is this moss growing in the cracks of a bicycle saddle (picture 2 & 3). It’s been there for at least half a year and it slowly keeps on growing. During dry periods it turns a more yellowish green, but after some rain it goes back to the vibrant green I love seeing.
To conclude, I believe mosses should be more appreciated. They capture CO₂ and water, make the city greener, and, last but not least, are soft to the touch. I think they are very ‘Mooi’!
Figure 3: A close-up of the mosses growing in the saddle cracks. (Source: Carien de Wildt, 2025)
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