What Is Reindeer Moss?

A specie belonging to lichen, reindeer moss derived its name from the fact that it is the staple food of reindeer that they feed on in winter.  Found in the sub-Arctic and Arctic regions, reindeer moss is also fed on by caribou.  The plant is covered in snow, which the animals scrape away with the help of their feet in order to access their food.  It is another marvel of nature that the growth of the plant is extremely slow.  After the reindeer have grazed on the reindeer moss, the plant takes almost about thirty years to recuperate and gain back its original form.

However reindeer moss is specifically in plenitude in the region of Lapland, along with several parts in the clime of northern Europe, the tundra (read treeless plains) of Siberia and also in the barren stretches of land in Arctic America.  The reindeer have to travel in domesticated herds to travel to these places to access their food.  Sometimes even humans feed on reindeer moss in a powdered combination of mixed food.