Tuesday 3 May 2016

East of Skenfrith

The River Monnow forms the border between England and Wales for several miles, but at Skenfrith there is a small section of the river's east bank in VC35 - most of which is in tetrad SO42Q.  A stop in this eastern outlier last week produced very little of note on a roadside, so this morning I made another visit to the tetrad - on a lane at St Fraed's.  Highlight was abundant Eurhynchium schleicheri, including one patch with sporophytes (I've only seen it fruiting twice previously).  Also of local interest were Porella platyphylla and Mnium stellare.  There's still the Monnow itself to do, with access along a riverside footpath, so this far-eastern Welsh tetrad should scrape above 75 in the end.

Eurhynchium schleicheri has characteristically crowded upright branches;
this patch looks squashed because I had to take it home for a photo (I forgot my camera again).

One of the underground stolons typical of E. schleicheri.

2 comments:

  1. It seems to have distinctiveness about it, which I'd like to think it might catch my attention the day I encounter it.

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  2. Yes I was thinking the same thing. I wonder if the lane banks north of Cardiff might be a good place to look.

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