Puffy Moss Ball ? on Laurel Bluff Trail

I was hiking in the woods last Sunday on the Laurel Bluff Trail..  This little puffy looking plant I think is some kind of moss.  I was surpised by it's lighter color. You can see regular deep green flat moss beneath it. It was the only one I saw in the 4 miles I walked.  It was about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.   Taken with Camera+ app, HDR mode.  I probably could have taken in square mode or cropped,  Slight editing in  PSE 11.

Mosses are defined as flowerless plants that usually grow in dense green clumps or mats, in damp or shady locations.  May want to read more: Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. by Robin Wall Kimmerer.