Front Yard Moss Data Collection

I have decided to not only measure the presence/absence data of moss in my front yard but more importantly the percent cover for each replicate. My data collection strategy/methods have changed to support this data collection and I have finally settled on the systematic sampling approach. In total I have 3 transects running from the road to my house, parallel to my driveway. Along each transect I have a total of 10 replicates I will be sampling using a 0.5m2 quadrat. The quadrat is broken down into quarters to allow for rough percent cover estimates. To ensure independence, I have also made sure to choose random starting points for each transect that were far enough apart and made sure to alternate sides along each transect when sampling. In total I have sampled 30 replicates.

Some of the problems I encountered when collecting data involved accuracy when it came to percent cover. I had a hard time estimating how much percent cover some of the quadrats contained. Additionally, with my method I was only measuring percent cover in quarters which means while some samples may have had more moss, they were recorded the same as some that maybe had less moss. I may need to go back and redo my sampling if the data collected is too broad to show meaningful results. Additionally, due to it being fall here the leaves covering the ground also provide a bit of a challenge when it comes to accurately measuring percent cover. I have been moving the leaves but it takes a bit more time than anticipated to sample. One ancillary pattern I have noticed is the lack of moss directly under larger trees that I had not anticipated. As well, despite randomizing the transects starting points, I worry the elevation and shade may still be confounding variables to my results.