Beginning with Henry Bolander’s moss collections in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in 1864, botanists have worked to survey all corners of Yosemite National Park to collect bryoflora (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts). The effort was formalized in 2004 as the Yosemite Bryoflora Project, with the best experts from around the western United States pitching in to help identify difficult specimens. In total, the Yosemite Bryoflora project has amassed a collection of over 3,000 specimens, including one species new to science: Pseudoleskea tribulosa, found only in high-elevation limestone or marble caves.

While a majority of these bryophyte specimens now reside in the California Academy of Sciences collections, a significant portion remain in various researchers' personal collections. This project’s goal is to retrieve those specimens and input their location and identification data into the Symbiota Bryophyte Portal. Our student employees are entering this label data and transferring the bryophytes to archival packets before finally distributing them to other herbaria.

Our student employee leading this project is Mya Arevalos, an Ecological Management and Restoration major. Working with the Herbrium’s diverse bryophyte collection has given her an avenue to explore her passion for ecology hands-on and connect with researchers in the field of bryology. During her time at the Herbarium, she’s learned many valuable skills that will continue to help her as she pursues a career in conservation research.