Rhossili Down

Tortula wilsonii (tbc) was the highlight of a wander around the n.w. section of Rhossili Down yesterday. It was growing as a few discrete, but dense patches totaling c.3 sqcm on soil ledges on a Brownstones Formation outcrop, Gower's oldest (Silurian) rocks SS41729038. Immediate soil associates included Sedum anglicum, Thymus polytrichus, Hypnum cupressiforme var. resupinatum, Trichostomum brachydontium, Pseudephemerum nitidum, Ceratodon purpureum, Cladonia sp. & Lepraria sp.

The same ledges held a few patches of Campylopus fragilis, at what is only the second site for Glamorgan.

Another Glamorgan first was Philonotis arnellii (tbc), which occurred as thinly scattered shoots on the steep mossy bank below Gorse and Bramble scrub, adjacent to the footpath at the base of the hill SS41649051. This is the site where I previously found Fissidens curvatus, which I failed to refind yesterday. Associates included Fissidens bryoides, Amblystegium serpens, Mnium hornum, Kindbergia praelonga, Richardia chamaedryfolia, Lophocolea bidentata & Weissia perssonii.

A small outcrop at the same location held Pterogonium gracile with Riccia subbifurca on the overlying thin soil crust. Anther colony of the Riccia was found higher up the hill on an ant hill.

All in all, it was a good afternoon, with a bonus ring Ouzel to boot (though not the views enjoyed by Charles & Hilary and Cwm Ivy the week before). The walk off the hill, following the stream below three spring heads, which held Sphagnum denticulatum & subnitens, plus Bryum alpinum & Sarmentypnum exannulatum, added some useful tetrad records that included Hookeria lucens, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Scpania undulata, Pellia neesiana, Campylium stellatum & Oxyrrhynchium speciosum.

North and south - a county of contrasts

After last week's visit to the northernmost point of Monmouthshire (VC35) I have now recorded bryophytes at the southernmost point.  This is on the seawall near Lamby Pit (in modern day Cardiff), and supported 12 species on concrete and rock, with Tortula muralis, Grimmia pulvinata and Syntrichia intermedia being the southernmost mosses of all.

I didn't realise there's Coast Path parking almost next to this southernmost point, so I made an expedition of it - the 2.5 miles each way walk from Peterstone Wentloog past my birding haunts of old.  Moss diversity was pretty limited, and the only non-epiphytic liverwort was some Pellia endiviifolia on a ditch bank.  Useful notes were made on various habitats, with highlights on the seawall being an impressive abundance of Fissidens incurvus on the inland side of the seawall bank, Drepanocladus aduncus in seasonally flooded track areas, Microbryum davallianum on thin soil overlying rocks on the seaward side of the seawall, and some large colonies of Orthotrichum anomalum on the seawall rocks.

Although the saltmarsh is extensive here on Rumney Great Wharf, it is perhaps too low-lying and not quite open enough for bryophytes.  I eventually found a couple of tiny shoots of Hennediella heimii on a raised area >50m out from the seawall, whilst the other Gwent halophyte Tortula pallida was abundant on an area of stony saltmarsh disturbed in the past by pipeline excavation.

It was not a vintage day's bryology, but it was good to go somewhere I have never been before, and 4 tetrads have been ticked off on the 'to do' list (leaving 103 unvisited by me in VC35).

Surprising urban wall moss

My most surprising bryo find of the winter so far has been Ptychomitrium polyphyllum growing just a stone's throw from the Butterfly Conservation Wales office in Hafod, Swansea. I first noticed a cushion of this moss growing on the sandstone coping of a sloping wall back in November, but only remembered today to take my camera along to get a few photos. I must have walked past it countless times last year before I noticed it. The moss is in the foreground of the photos below. It is close to a busy road junction and must experience pretty high levels of nitrogen pollution.

I noticed today that as well as the large fruiting cushion there is a small non-fruiting cushion nearby (on the right-hand side in the photo below left).

The associates are all mundane species: mostly Grimmia pulvinata with some Bryum capillare and a tiny amount of Tortula muralis. The rest of the wall is almost devoid of moss apart from a few scraps of G. pulvinata here and there.

I've not seen this moss in an urban situation before, but perhaps it isn't so unusual. Sam's Pembrokeshire flora mentions its persistence on imported rocks at County Hall in Haverfordwest, shwoing it can survive some pollution.

Aberthaw shingle

A few spare hours on Tuesday took me to the shingle beach at West Aberthaw - the draw being that this tetrad (ST06D) had no previous bryo records despite obvious potential.

Things started well with Scorpiurium circinatum and fruiting Rhynchostegium megapolitanum on a stony bank by the car park, as well as a mystery Bryum sp. (photo below - not sure if this is B. kunzei or another member of the caespiticium group - any comments welcome).

The broad leaf of Rhynchostegium megapolitanum

Scorpiurium circinatum

West of the car park, an area of ruderal vegetation behind the shingle beach was awash with small, fruiting acrocarps, including Microbryum davallianum, M. rectum, Tortula protobryoides and Phascum cuspidatum.

Microbryum rectum

Microbryum davallianum

Microbryum davallianum spores

Tortula protobryoides

Further west still, the back of the shingle beach was quite well vegetated, the bryophytes including Aloina aloides (fruiting), Tortella nitida, lots of Scorpiurium and some more M. rectum.

Tortella nitida on old rope among shingle

This left me a little time to try and add some epiphytes in the north of the tetrad, but these were few and far between - I couldn't even find any Cryphaea. Of more interest was yet more Scorpiurium in Gileston Churchyard and small cushions of Gymnostomum aeruginosum on the mortar of a railway bridge.

Many of the species mentioned above have their Glamorgan headquarters on the South Gower limestones and few records from further east - but this is partly due to the Vale being badly under-recorded. Lots of work to do here!

Kew Gardens

We had a family outing to Kew Gardens on 26th June. I managed to resist the temptation to take any samples from the luxuriant bryophytes growing in the glass houses, reasoning that I'd have little chance of identifying any of them. I did make a small concession to bryology by taking a sample of a small acrocarp from damp stonework in the gardens, scraping it off using my fingernail.

Under the microcope the sample proved to be a mix of two species: young plants of Tortula marginata and T. muralis. The difference between the short, greenish hairpoint of marginata and the long, colourless hairpoint of muralis was quite striking, but otherwise the two looked similar - apart from the elongate, incrassate marginal cells of marginata, visible under high power (photos below).

The Atlas map suggests marginata is a widespread species in south-eastern England, but the only South Wales records away from the borders seem to be two from southern Pembrokeshire and one from Kenfig Castle - two of these records being made by Sam. One for me to look out for in Cardiff I suppose...Llandaff Cathedral might be a good bet.

Worms Head jaunt

Devil's Bridge
bryos become scarcer beyond here, although there was a little Bryum kunzei
west of here along with the more regular salt-tolerant species

Sandra, myself and a couple of friends made a mid-morning trek to the outer Worm yesterday, in conditions breezier and chillier than expected. Due to the mid-day cut-off tide, there were only a few brief opportunities to search for bryophytes, the outcropping Limestone on the higher parts of the inner head appearing to be the most interesting part of the headland. There we no sheep on the headland, but there have clearly been animals out there for some time over the winter period judging by the amount of sheep dung on the ridge. Unsurprisingly I couldn't refind any Weissia levieri (recorded there by Smith in 1962) but a few additional species were added and the total for SS38Y which now stands at 37 (full list below). Note Worms Head is the only land within SS38.

view from high ground on inner head

view from middle head looking back to inner head
higher ground on south-facing dip slope of inner head location
for Tortula viridifolia, Bryum canariense & B. kunzei

T. viridifolia - Mediterranean-Atlantic element
note the rounded leaf tips with long excurrent nerve
and recurved margins, plus lack of a peristome

For the record, here's the list of species recorded on Worms Head (A.J.E. Smith, M.F.V. Corley & myself):

Acaulon muticum

Amblystegium serpens var. salinum

Barvula convoluta

Barbula unguiculata

Brachythecium albicans

Bryum argenteum

Bryum canariense

Bryum capillare

Bryum dichotomum

Bryum kunzei

Bryum pallens

Bryum rubens

Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus

Ceratodon purpureus

Didymodon fallax

Fissidens dubius

Funaria hygrometrica

Homalothecium sericeum

Hypnum cupressiforme var. lacunosum

Kindbergia praelonga

Metzgeria furcata

Phascum cuspidatum

Plagiomnium elatum

Scorpiurium circinatum

Syntrichia montana

Syntrichia ruralis

Tortella flavovirens

Tortella nitida

Tortula atrovirens

Tortula lanceola

Tortula protobryoides

Tortula viridifolia

Trichostomum brachydontium

Trichostomum crispulum

Weissia brachycarpa var. obliqua

Weissia controversa var. crispata

Weissia levieri