Although it looks quite distinctive in this photo I don't think I'd have spotted it if I wasn't looking out for it - I'd probably have overlooked it as a slightly stunted, brownish Pseudoscleropodium purum (which is much more abundant on the same slope). Once I'd got my eye in the slightly less blunt shoot tips, combined with narrower shoots and bronzy appearance, meant it wasn't too hard to spot. Close associates in the limestone turf included P. purum, Homalothecium lutescens and Hypnum lacunosum. Not too far away were Ditrichum gracile, Neckera crispa, Ctenidium molluscum and Pleurochaete squarrosa.
The location is about 400m east of Chris's grid reference. I can send more specific directions via email if anyone wants to go and see it, though it is likely to be in other places on this slope too. A few more photos below.
That was on my list of 'things to do' as well. Great stuff Barry.
ReplyDeleteYou mean George, Charles - I may pay a visit myself this w/e...how fab! The group is really turning up some great stuff! Congratulations George
ReplyDeleteDo you have a grid ref?
ReplyDeleteI think Charles was confused by my photo being better than my usual poor standard!
ReplyDeleteI have an 8 figure grid ref, wasn't sure whether to include it on the blog or not.
I don't think there's a problem with having an 8-fig on the Blog - anyone keen enough to go looking for Entodon isn't going to collect more than a shoot or two for microscope checking, and we could justifiably ask that nobody collects it full-stop. Entodon is extremely rare in south Wales. I think Roy recorded it at Nicholaston burrows too, but may be misremembering. We thought it was extremely rare in N Wales as well, but the BBS Denbighshire meeting turned up several new colonies. I have never seen Entodon in Wales!
ReplyDeletePS very well done, George!!
ReplyDeleteOk then, that sounds fair enough. I found it at SS89777633 and SS89777632. I did take 2-3 small shoots home but only to confirm the ID.
ReplyDeleteFrom the layby you only have to cross the thin bracken strip and go up the slope a short way. I'd be very interested to know whether anyone can find some more - I didn't make a thorough search elsewhere as the light was going.
There was some Bryum ruderale on ant hills nearby, and some Weissia but I couldn't find mature capsules. Also worth checking out the very large Dicranella schreberiana - I took some home and can't make it into anything else.
It seems to have a very strange biogeography - south facing slopes on limestone in southern Britain, but also occurs on the north coast of Scotland and in the arctic!
PS Roy's record was from Merthyr Mawr. Definitely worth a look for it there up on the hill by the limestone outcrops.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the details George, I certainly won't be taking anything other than images 😇 The NBN shows Entodon as recorded in SS58, so it's quite feasible Roy did record it at Nicholaston, which will be receiving a visit before too long ...
ReplyDeleteHow about Leptodon next?
Chris FB has refound the Merthyr Mawr colony but I'm not sure it has ever got into the database. He said it was near the castle, just past a "Private" sign. I have never looked because I was always there for work and didn't want to trespass.
ReplyDeleteWell, it was late on a Friday night when I read the post George! Apologies. Anyway, very exciting.I'll be popping up there next week to get a photo. Thanks for posting the details.
ReplyDeleteSam - I presume you're referring to Leptodon not Entodon re the CFB record. That record (2005) is in my MapMate. Would be fun to try and find the three Dons (Entodon, Leptodon and Habrodon) at Merthyr Mawr on the same day! If anyone fancies trying for that let me know.
ReplyDeleteThere's a great looking limestone cliff across the valley from the Entodon site, on Old Castle Down (SS898759). I've been saving that one for when I have a bit more time, so please invite me along if you fancy having a look at it.
I did mean Entodon. Mixed with Abietinella. 3 'dons challenge...
ReplyDeleteGeorge, went down to see it this afternoon in company of H, Barry and Sandra - made my day. And all that lovely limestone makes a change from trudging along forestry tracks. Stacks of Neckera on roadside outcrops, it's another world.
ReplyDeleteExcellent. Did you search anywhere else for it?
ReplyDeleteThe Neckera is lovely there, and there's even more of it on the wooded outcrops in that area.
Just a flying from Sand & myself, but a revisit is on the cards. NB we saw a good scattering of Pleurochaete and wonder if this might explain your very big Dicranella?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sorting that out for me - I've never seen Pleurochaete before and despite reading up on it a few weeks ago it had completely gone out of my mind. It did seem monstrously large for Dicranella.
ReplyDeleteWill amend the blog.
It's one of those awkward first time encountered species, but pretty distinctive once learned.
ReplyDelete