Leaf litter seems a rather undignified term. Perhaps it is our frustration of having to empty the gutters around the house and rake the lawn this time of year. But it really does not give respect to an amazingly efficient way the forest recycles what it creates. And what I find equally amazing is that in that forest refuse there are signs of life ignoring the signals of the approaching winter. Juniper haircap moss, Polytrichum juniperinum, can be seen poking through the dried leaves on our forest floor when most of the other flora that was so bountiful during the spring and summer have disappeared. Click on the image for a larger view.