Dinas Powys

On Saturday I spent a morning in Dinas Powys, specifically in tetrad ST17K - the last remaining tetrad in ST17 with no bryophyte records. It proved more interesting than expected, with a fair bit of woodland in the north and some attractive limestone outcrops.

Most of the outcrops were smothered in Thamnobryum and Anomodon, but there was a small patch of Conocephalum salebrosum in one area. The best outcrop (ST149719) held Taxiphyllum wissgrillii and a fair bit of Marchesinia mackaii (the first time I've seen it in the Dinas Powys woodlands, and new for ST17). It was growing near an impressive lichen, which Sam has identified as Dermatocarpon miniatum (thanks Sam).

I finished the outing with a quick walk around Dinas Powys Common, which added some open ground species including Microbryum davellianum (spores checked) on a patch of compacted soil. I haven't entered the records yet, but the tetrad list should be up to around 60 species.