Feather flat moss ( Neckera pennata ) can be an indicator of late successional and old - growth hardwood forests .
Neckera pennata usually grows on sugar maples in the Northeast that are at least 120 years old .
Feather flat moss ( Neckera pennata ) can be an indicator of late successional and old - growth hardwood forests , because it usually grows on sugar maples in the Northeast that are at least 120 years old .