Moss can have spores in it that can last up to 200 years. Getting them to grow is definently possible but it could get all moldy instead. Chances are it turned brown because it was just some native moss that does that every fall.

Keeping moss in terrariums is really a hard thing to succeed at. Mostly because the terrariums are kept inside a house and house temperatures are just too warm, especially at night, for the mosses.
Also if you use tap water you will kill the moss. You need to use only distilled water.

Connecticutian18

I think it might depend on the moss and its location in the wild.

I have moss growing in my open Terrascape right through winter (heated room) and during our hot summers outside in a shade house.

At the moment its 25c on top of the moss

The brown is Sphagnum Moss not the green moss

Keith

Harvesting mosses from outdoors doesn't not always work out well. One needs to replicate the media and other conditions it was receiving while outside which can be difficult to impossible to do indoors.

It looks like the moss that Keith is growing is similiar to a tropical species and one that is used to drying out some and higher temperatures. I had a similar species growing in my greenhouse on a piece of cork and just kept it sprayed 2-3 times a day . I was impressed by how well it did.

But if you are collecting mosses from your yard in the USA you generally will have a hard time getting them to perform as you would want.

That Moss I have will survive our hot and bush fires summer as soon as Spring arrives it comes back to life.

It can be found in fern gullies in the bush land areas not in the open dry hot plains.

Keith