Baglan Hook-beak Tufa-moss pics

A few close-ups and microscope shots for the record:

dry

wet

Brownfield slack surprise

On my way out to Witford yesterday it was spitting and looking very threatening, so I decided to make a pit stop in an area of the old BP works where I'd previously recorded the vascular plants several years back and have been meaning to return to check for bryos. The substrate is pure furnace slag that floods in the winter and consequently supports rather nice dune slack vegetation with elements of the NVC communities SD13-SD14.

The main bryos in the winter-wet areas were Drepanocladus aduncus and Hymenostylium recurvirostrum var. recurvirostrum, with locally frequent Calliergonella cuspidata, D. polygamus, Didymodon tophaceus, Cratoneuron filicinum, Bryum pseudotriquetrum & Fissidens adianthoides. I didn't have long, but in the area I walked over, I estimated the Hymenostylium colony extended to at least 1500m² (centred at SS74069208) being frequent throughout. There are similar areas in this part of the site I didn't look at, so the colony could be even bigger. Hymenostylium is not something I was expecting in this situation, but I read in the atlas that it grows at mine sites in Cornwall, so perhaps isn't too much out of context. Unfortunately, there's an inevitability this area will be redeveloped at some point, such is the nature of brown field land. [I'm pretty busy at present, but I'll add some microscope pics and better macro shots when I get a chance]

In the evening, on the way back through the site, I rechecked the general area where I saw the Tortella inclinata last month and discovered it also forms an extensive colony, being locally dominant in an area at least 40m x 4m. The main part of the colony is on tarmac, where it grows as mono-specific stands (actually discernable on the Google aerials SS73189138). Here the colony appears to be spreading over the tarmac from the edges, presumably extending by trapping wind-blown sand and gritty slag. Off the tarmac, in adjacent areas of coarser gravelly slag, the species grows as clumps in a more diverse mosaic of short dune vegetation.

Other tarmac colonists with burgeoning populations thriving on these abandoned roads, noted whilst driving across the site yesterday, included Drepanocladus aduncus (photo 1 below) and Didymodon ferrugineus (photo 3 below). The Drepanocladus hosted a fungus, which I have a specimen of - I don't know if Charles is able to point me in the right direction, if so I'll try and key it out?

Festive Foel Fawr

A Christmas Day spin over Mynydd Du to take in a bit of fresh air included a brief stop by the ultra-basic flushes below Clogau Mawr SN725194. Species of interest included Palustriella falcata, which was dominant over large areas, with plenty cushions of Hymenostylium recurvirostrum hosting a range of other species such as Aneura pinguis, Jungermannia atrovirens and Anagallis tenella.

Clogau Mawr, Black Mountain

On the bank holiday we went for a spin and ended up going over The Black Mountain, making a very brief pit stop at the old limeworkings of Clogau Mawr (SN722193). The tufa formations are quite remarkable at this site, as I'm sure the bryophytes are too based on what I saw in the five minutes we were there. Hymenostylium recurvirostrum (photo) was the highlight, the extremely dense cushions with Aneura growing over them. Although this area seems to be a well worked part of Carmarthenshire, it's a very easy place to access and see some really nice formations as well as good bryos.

There's some beautiful limestone scenery all along the road as you head east to Llygad Llwchr (eye of the Loughor, where the source of the river emerges from a cave), including great views of Carreg Cennen Castle.