Saturday, 7 March 2015
Ulota calvescens in Neath Port Talbot
After looking at lots of Ulota specimens in the Pentrecwydau forestry between Resolven and Glyn Neath, which were mostly bruchii/crispa types, a suitable looking tuft with tallish sporophytes and sparsely hairy calyptra was spotted on a branch of one of the hundreds of willows (mostly Salix cinera) that occur along the service road at SN8425/0482. It was growing in an epiphytic community that included Orthotrichum affine, O. pulchellum, Cryphaea heteromalla, Metzgeria furcata and a few others. It was impossible to get a photo of the plant in situ, but we managed to sample a few shoots for identification. The photo below shows the obvious vitta, which I presume confirms the identification.
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I'm feeling left out!
ReplyDeleteIt's there to be found George! Well done Charles and Hilary, I tried again for 30 mins yesterday morning, walking Alfie in a different park, one that is generally much richer for bryophytes, but without success. I think it's a bit like finding rare birds ... persistence pays!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right Barry, it must be over this way too. I tried for about 45 mins on the riverbank willows in my local park today without success, but did at least add 4 common species for the tetrad taking the total to 89 taxa (including Mnium hornum, which is scarce in urban Cardiff).
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