North-west VC35

I made a couple of quick stops in north-western VC35 to top up two tetrads on my way to the Brecon Beacons today. The first was SO11Q, where a previous urban list in 2005 totalled fewer than 50 species. Half an hour on Beaufort Hill produced 60 species, which combines with 16 that I didn't repeat from my previous visit to take the tetrad to a respectable 76. Highlights were:

• abundant Ptychomitrium polyphyllum (49 previous VC35 records, mostly in the west) on iron slag (photo above)
• some Didymodon ferrugineus on a track
• two patches of Sanionia uncinata (photo below) on a willow in a pool (25 previous VC35 records, mostly from the Black Mountains)
• fruiting Brachythecium velutinum on iron slag (photo below) (mostly lowland in the county) 

SO10P was even more productive, as there was very little overlap between today's 51 species in urban Tredegar and the ca60 recorded previously at Scotch Peter's Reservoir; the tetrad total is now a good 101 species. Frustratingly I left my phone in the car so didn't capture any images of Schistidium platyphyllum (until recently thought to be a scarce species) growing among abundant plastic refuse on the Afon Sirhowy. Highlights were:

• Schistidium platyphyllum (10 previous VC35 records but widespread on the upper Sirhowy and Rhymney) frequent by the Afon Sirhowy
• fruiting Syntrichia latifolia (first fruiting record for VC35) along with S. virescens on roadside Lime