At least the mosses are happy.

   It is a cruel day, only about 50 degrees after yesterday's 75, windy and cloudy.  But it did rain yesterday, so today the fully hydrated mosses are happy and growing.
   This log section is from a walnut tree.  I hollowed out three sections about 3/4ths inch deep in the top with a chain saw, then pushed the saw through to the bottom for drainage. Then I placed shallow plastic containers in the depressions, poking holes in them for drainage.  I then placed moss in the containers, which eventually spread over the entire surface.
   There are at least two species of moss growing here, Anomodon rostratus and a species of Brachythecium, probably salebrosum.
   The small fern at the base of the structure is Gymnocarpium dryopteris, or Oak Fern.  It only grows from six to twelve inches, so it is quite the dainty plant.  I purchase them from Prairie Nursery in Westfield, WI.  It is quite rare, and the only other place I found it for sale is a nursery in Vancouver Island in British Columbia.