Sychryd scramble

On the 20th a climb up through the complex of boulders and falls along the Glamorgan side of the Sychryd boosted the totals for SN90D from 90 to 159 and SN90E from 41 to 106. Highlights from the limestone section included scattered colonies of Cololejeunea calcarea (photo 1 below), Neckera crispa (just one small tuft noted), Oxyrrhynchium schleicheri (one small colony), Rhynchostegiella teneriffae (sheets of it above water line, photo 2), Seligeria acutifolia (small amounts at 2 locations, photo 3), S. donniana (only 1 fruiting patch seen,, photo 4), Taxiphyllum wissgrillii (1 patch noted on a small embedded rock) & a little Dermatocarpon miniatum (photo 5).

A couple of logs in the higher acid section of the gorge supported species including Barbilophozia attenuata, Blepharostoma trichophyllum, Cephalozia catenulata (photo 1 below), Dicranodontium denudatum & Riccardia palmata, plus there were a couple of nice patches of Hymenophyllum tunbridgense half way up the valley side.

Of note for the wrong reason was a single 10cm x 10cm patch of Lophocolea semiteres established on the track as you walk down the north side of Dinas Rock.

Earlier in the day on the way up the Neath Valley, three lay-by stops along the A465 all showed that the putative Didymodon australasiae is a well established component of the verge dirt zone along this road. A little Ephemerum minutissimum was also collected and checked under microscope at one of the stops.

Cwm Clydach, Kidwelly revisited

It's difficult to capture the atmosphere from photographs, so click HERE and HERE to see short videos of this beautiful narrow gorge.

The rocks along the water line, especially below the waterfalls in the first image, support a good population of Fissidens rivularis, whilst higher up the cliff locally frequent Jubula hutchinsiae, Fissidens osmundoides and Trichomanes speciosum gametophyte were among the highlights.

 The erect capsules, yellowish nerve/leaf border and smaller cells differentiate rivularis from monguillonii.

Jubula hutuchinsiae

Rhynchostegiella teneriffae

Trichomanes speciosum

Mobile Moss (update)

I spotted this as yet unidentified moss growing inside the umbilicus of a live Strawberry Snail Trichia striolata at NBGW yesterday. Probably not that unusual, but thought it a bit quirky all the same! I still have the snail but have not yet sampled the moss within so any suggestions welcome (I guess it's going to be a calcicole). Also I would be interested to hear if anyone else has encountered anything similar.

... finally got round to looking at the snail-moss and it's Rhynchostegiella tenella