Ma usually shares his excursions with several scientists specializing in other disciplines, such as fungi or insects. Upon entering the forest they separate, each hunting their own targets, then meeting back at the starting point at an appointed time.

Ma is always the last one to return because he is so focused on taking photos of the moss he finds along the way, before stopping to collect samples on his way back. He is usually able to photograph the whole research team on the mountain, because they are all ahead of him.

Getting lost is a common occurrence for Ma. "There are two rules to follow if you find yourself lost. Number one is not to panic and the other is to move toward the lower terrain or along the water," Ma says. "If I realize I'm lost and I don't recognize anything in any direction, I'll turn back."

A video production team once followed him on a 10-hour hike to collect moss in Yangbi Yi autonomous county, Yunnan province. It was a rainy day and they walked on a previously untraversed route for three hours before realizing they were lost.

"If we don't go far enough to reach a place with the right environment, we can't find the best moss," Ma, who felt a bit guilty, explained to the team.

Ma used to be afraid of leeches in the woods. He would dream of leeches for days after being bitten and would always suspect there were leeches in his bed.

"Now, however, when I see leeches I feel happy, because it means there is not too much pollution," Ma says, whose first reaction these days when encountering leeches or snakes is to take photos of them.

Ma has visited all the nature reserves in Southwest China. The one he finds most impressive, and which he has visited three times, is Wutai Mountain on the border between China and Vietnam.

"Even on the same route, I collect different moss species each time, because mosses are dynamic-it's random for some species to show up in certain places, and when you visit the same place after several years, you may see a totally different species."