Winter-joys III: out in the woods

It goes without saying that woodlands are enchanted places year long.
In deciduous woods even when all trees have lost their leaves, we can find many green “winter-joys” during the snowless periods: moss covered rocks, moss on tree trunks and stumps, slopes and woodland floor with sedges, wintergreen (Gaultheria) and others such as: Chimaphila, Polystichum, Coptis trifolia, Mitella, and of course, the queens of the woodlands: Hepatica americana and Hepatica acutiloba.
Mosses require a specialized expertise (and a microscope!) for correct identification; therefore in most cases I abstain to provide a name because it might be incorrect.

We can admire all of them and also draw inspiration from their growing habitat. Reproducing the moss boulders in our gardens would pose serious challenges, but a decaying stump in the shade is always a good opportunity to try and establish moss and species which like to grow on it, like seen in the pictures.
Sedges (Carex) are easy to grow from seeds and establish in the garden, and there are species for almost any type of location (sun to shade and wet to dry). Same goes for others like Mitella, Tiarella (picture in my garden), Polystichum acrostichoides and many other ferns, Hepatica and Gaultheria.

*Thanks to good weather Chimaphila seeds and Gaultheria fruits were collected (in stock after they can be cleaned and sorted out).
**Sedges (Carex) are also very difficult to identify and there are about 200 species in Ontario!