Here is another close-up picture.
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That is so cool!!

That's a Polytrichum, also called "hair-cap moss". If I had to guess, I'd say it's Polytrichum juniperinum, but a proper ID at the species level would probably need microscopy (I seem to remember having to look at length/width ratios of leaf cells last time I identified this species). Anyways, those red things are called splash cups. The gist is, the plants you're looking at are male and are producing sperm in the splash cups, in little structures called antheridia, and when a raindrop falls on the splash cup sperm gets splashed all over the place and hopefully some lands on a female moss of the same species.

Something to think about the next time you're on a mossy hillside in the rain...

Patrick Alexander

IN RESPONSE TO: "those red things are called splash cups. The gist is, the plants you're looking at are male and are producing sperm in the splash cups"

Re:
Hi Patrick - that is so amazing. Now everytime I mist them, I'll be thinking happy thoughts. I'm curious as to what they look like when not fertile. I'll be documenting this species with my digital Kodak for the next year. By the way Patrick, your pictures on your home page are amazing! I had a 3.1 digital Nikon, and just upgraded to a 6.1 Kodak. May I ask what digital camera you use to take your photos? Hats off to your pictures! well done.

David in zone 5 b

bonsai_moss

"I'm curious as to what they look like when not fertile."

Well, here's what Polytrichum ohioense looks like when it's just growing vegetatively:

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There're also a few old spore capsules in there... I don't have any pictures of Polytrichum juniperinum, though--only saw it once and didn't have time for photography. I look forward to seeing more images of these guys. Polytrichum's one of my favorite mosses.

"By the way Patrick, your pictures on your home page are amazing! I had a 3.1 digital Nikon, and just upgraded to a 6.1 Kodak. May I ask what digital camera you use to take your photos?"

Thanks! Right now I'm using a Canon Digital Rebel, a digital SLR. I've had this camera since the December before last and before that I was using a Nikon Coolpix 4500 (or, earlier still, a Coolpix 995). On the web page, the smaller images were taken with the Coolpix, the larger images with the Digital Rebel. The difference in size is just the result of a change in my preferences for web photo sizing, rather than anything to do with the cameras themselves.

Patrick Alexander

Those are fantastic, never seen those before!