Freezing Fun

Icy Thamnobryum by a stream.

The freezing nights between Christmas and New Year weren't exactly ideal for bryology, but at least we didn't get moss-burying carpets of snow!  I spent a day recording in three tetrads south of Trelech in western Carms - SN22T, SN22X and SN22Y - getting 80+ in the first two and ca70 in the third.  This area is typical of the 'dairy zone', but the valleys have footpaths so give up some of their diversity.

Epiphyte highlights were abundant Frullania tamarisci and Neckera pumila, along with Lejeunea cavifolia.
Lane banks supported Marsupella emarginata in two places and one colony of Bryum sauteri, as well as Cirriphyllum piliferum and Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus.
Didymodon nicholsonii grew in abundance on tarmac and there were a few patches of Syntrichia latifolia in one place.
A wooded flush with abundant Golden Saxifrage was locus classicus for large Aneura cf euromaxima/pellioides.
Fissidens celticus, F. curnovii, Heterocladium heteropterum and Hookeria lucens were present near streams, and one river bank held Epipterygium tozeri. 

The dairy plateaux above were dull as ditch water, and even the valleys were hardly riveting, but another three tetrads have been ticked off leaving just 92 unvisited (by me) in Carms.

Aneura cf euromaxima in a wooded flush. 

A poor photo but showing the typical large size and undulate margins.