Allt Goch (NBGW)

The red clayey banks of the stream running down off the appropriately named Allt Goch, supported a good suite of lowland riparian species including some good patches of Fissidens celticus (photos above), the most frequent associates being Fissidens bryoides var. bryoides, Atrichum undulatum and Pellia epiphylla. The bridge upstream supported some intense fruiting patches of Sciuro-hypnum populeum (photo below) along with a good selection of other fruiting pleurocarps including Hygrohypnum luridum.

Mini Brachythecium

I found a large patch of Brachythecium populeum on a Hazel branch at Carmel today on which all of the sporophytes were half the size of the usual ones on that species.  The leaves etc were relatively small too.  I did wonder whether it might be Rhynchostegiella litorea, but the unbeaked capsule indicates it isn't.  Very odd!

SN60G (Felindre) Note, I must check the records first!

Yesterday I only had a little spare time so decided to give SN60G (which was on 55 species) a boost to help take it over the 70 mark. Stupidly I never checked what species had been recorded other than I knew I’d looked at some coal spoil in the nw of the square, so I headed to Felindre and ended up spending 15 minutes by the river and 30 minutes in the church (again in the rain). I couldn’t believe it when I got back and found that Sam had already done the church! Of the 400ha to choose from in SN60G, I had to choose the same 0.2 ha! However, it did give the opportunity to compare results. Needless to say Sam recorded more, 15 more in fact, although I was pleased to find that I managed to add a further 7, the best of these probably being Sciuro-hypnum populeum.

The tetrad total now stands at a respectable 83, the church total of 50 accounting for a large part of this, 5m of river bank and 0.2 ha of coal spoil the rest. As the squares get ticked off, it’s sobering to think that three casual visits to less than 0.1% of a tetrad (yellow patches below) can constitute a ‘completed’ square (i.e. a nominal 60 spp exceeded).

Well as suggested I'm now venturing into SN60 when I get the odd opportunity and my target is to complete this hectad over the winter. Here are the tetrad totals as it stands...