Flat Holm Island (summer)

I’ve been out to Flat Holm lots of times, firstly volunteering as an enthusiastic  17 year old, then following that whenever I had the chance. It is a fascinating place, packed with history and lots of gulls too. According to the information there are 20,000 nesting pairs, all toing and froing from ‘chippy ally’ in Cardiff back out to the island.

The grand total of bryophytes recorded on Flat Holm was, until recently one…or maybe it was two, either way I felt confident that even I could make a useful contribution. So I jumped at the chance to go with SEWBREC for their BioBlitz back in August 2017. 

The islands varied past land use means there is plenty of hard-core paths, tarmac, derelict buildings, concrete and limestone block structures, but there are very few – well almost no, natural water features. I have found only one persistent ‘drip’ that lasts year round, in the appropriately, if not enthusiastically  named ‘dripping cove’, where with some luck you will also find a small patch of Eucladium verticillatum hanging onto the underside of the cliff face. The very overgrown WWII defence ditch around the lighthouse also provides one of the few sheltered spots on the island capable of producing any humidity, and the limestone/soil banks are home to plenty of Fissidens taxifolius var. taxifolius and the trees and shrubs ideal habitats for any epiphytes. I’m sure that there is plenty more to find in the right season or with an expert eye, but until then here are the limited ‘highlights’ of the summertime trip;

Brachythecium populem, Barbula unguiculata, Bryum argenteum, Eucladium verticillatum, Fissidens taxifolius var. taxifolius, Hypnum lacunosum, Kindbergia praelonga, Metzgeria furcate, Orthotrichum diaphanum, Plagiomnium affine, Rhynchostegiella tenella, Rhynchostegium megapolitanum, Syntrichia ruralis subs. ruralis, Tortula moralis, Trichostomum brachydontium and Wessia brachcarpa var oliqua.

As always I was very grateful for Georges and Sam’s help with confirming some of the IDs and pointing out where I had gone hopelessly wrong,  it really is the only way to learn when you are starting out – so hats off to them again. New years resolution is to be able to confidently record in a local area without making too many mistakes.........



One small area of Eucladium verticillatum forming near a persistent drip in the 'Dripping cove'.





Flat Holm Island (image copyright of RCAHMW)