Hirwaun old ironworks

Yesterday I had a quick look at the old iron works site at SN955058 as it was close to a site I was working at. There was a baffling mix of calcicole and califuge species (list below), all growing together side-by-side on the same lumps of slag, so I assume this material has highly varied chemical properties? Probably worth a closer inspection, although the total of 122 taxa in SN90M is pretty respectable.

Amblystegium serpens var. serpens (capsules)

Atrichum undulatum var. undulatum (capsules)

Bryum capillare (capsules)
Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus

Campylopus introflexus (capsules)

Ceratodon purpureus (capsules)

Ctenidium molluscum var. molluscum

Dicranum scoparium (capsules)

Didymodon fallax

Didymodon insulanus

Didymodon rigidulus

Encalypta streptocarpa

Fissidens dubius

Grimmia pulvinata (capsules)

Gymnostomum aeruginosum

Homalothecium sericeum

Hypnum cupressiforme var. cupressiforme

Lophozia excisa (perianths & gemmae)

Plagiochila porelloides

Polytrichum piliferum

Pseudocrossidium hornschuchianum

Pseudocrossidium revolutum (capsules)

Ptychomitrium polyphyllum (capsules)

Racomitrium ericoides

Rhynchostegium confertum (capsules)

Scapania aspera

Scapania compacta

Schistidium crassipilum (capsules)

Tortula muralis (capsules)

Zygodon viridissimus var. viridissimus

Ptilidium ciliare on coal tips

The distribution of this attractive liverwort in Glamorgan is slowly unravelling. Its appearance in natural and semi-natural habitats is rather sporadic, but it seems to be an almost constant component of broken swards on older coal tips. Yesterday I made a pit stop and Ffos y Fran to add some records to SO00S & SO00T and found it in both, though P.c. was only new for the latter. Other typical species of these pseudo-CG1 tip communities [have you ever NVC'd these communities Sam?] noted included Filago minima, Festuca ovina, Carlina vulgaris, Thymus polytrichus, Cladonia spp., Pilosella officinarum, Racomitrium lanuginosum, R. ericoides, Polytrichum piliferum, Hypnum cupressiforme var. lacunosum, etc. Good to see a couple of pairs of Lapwings with well-grown chicks there too.