Part of yesterday was spent in the lorry breakers yard in
Pont-lliw doing a walkover inspection to check for signs of Otters and bats! This gave
me the opportunity to do some less rushed bryo-recording than of late and I managed to log 66 taxa at the site. 17 were new to SN60A taking its total to 113. There
was nothing to get particularly excited about, the most prominent species being both Barbula convoluta vars, Didymodon fallax and Cratoneuron filicinum. The slightly more interesting records included:
Two small patches of Climacium
dendroides in the yard area and Amblystegium serpens found this engine block to it's liking:
Cryphaea
heteromalla was growing luxuriantly on some concrete pipe sections:
Leptodictyum riparium was growing well and fruiting on old tyres in a ditch:
However, this Archidium-sized
moss defeated me and I wonder if anyone has any suggestions? It was growing on
almost clay-like duff. I’m suspecting it’s young growth of something familiar,
but I can’t place it. The strong nerve extends to just below the leaf tip.
That's a good species total - and it's always interesting to see what turns up in odd habitats like that. Can't help with the last one I'm afraid...it looks like one of those I spend ages agonising over then conclude it must be 'young growth of something familiar".
ReplyDeleteYes, that is a really good total for a breakers yard.
ReplyDeleteThe mystery plant looks like a Dicranella to me. The leaf has margins recurved for most of the length, so it could be D. varia. But then again my street credibility with the Dicranales went straight down the tube a few weeks ago!
I'm suspecting you're right Charles - looks pretty convincing
ReplyDeleteI agree with Charles - D varia - though shorter leaved than some plants you see.
ReplyDeleteThanks both - I had actually recorded more typical material in another part of the site, so no extra species, but a lesson learned.
ReplyDelete