End of year square-bash at Rhosaman

An afternoon square-bash in SN71G took the square total from 5 to 83. I spent most time searching an area of colliery spoil which produced 63 species directly on spoil; nothing exciting, those of general interest included Aneura pinguis, Archidium alternifolium, Aulacomnium palustre (unusually plants were scattered over a steep dry bank with a broken sward), Calliergonella lindbergii, Gymnostomum aeruginosum, Racomitrium ericoides, R. fasciculare, R. lanuginosum, Riccardia multifida, Sciuro-hypnum plumosum (surprisingly frequent on shaley ground). Despite a decent return I was disappointed not to find any Ptilidium, nor any Weissia or Fossombronia spp. to name but a few I was anticipating.  I didn’t have time to walk the wooded banks of the Aman, which could well have taken the square total over 100 ... another day perhaps!  I did manage to take a very quick look in the river by the footbridge, where Hygrohypnum ochraceum covered the larger rocks along with a little Marchantia polymorpha subsp. polymorpha. This may have been my last bryophyte outing in what’s been another very enjoyable year of recording. Best wishes to all for the year ahead...

PS. If anyone can put a name to the brown lichen I’d be interested to know.

 Racomitrium ericoides-Cladonia portentosa spoil community

  Sciuro-hypnum plumosum 

  Aulacomnium palustre

  Lophozia ventricosa 

  unidentified lichen

 Hygrohypnum ochraceum

Mynydd Aberdare

A short stop in the falling snow on the west side of Mynydd Aberdare today added 40-45 species to SO00C & SO00D. The area I looked at was a mixed Larch/Pine plantation with plenty calcicoles along the verges. Didymodon ferrugineus (first two photos) was locally frequent and was found growing alongside both fallax and insulanus, the differences then being quite obvious. Other associates included Calliergonella lindbergii, Ditrichum gracile, Encalypta streptocarpa, etc.

The branches of the Japanese Larches were heavily clothed in epiphytes, including a few patches of Sanionia uncinata (also noted on the track edge at one spot), but the oddest species noted growing on a branch just above head height was Racomitrium ericoides! Has anyone else ever seen this up a tree before? I’ve also retained a reddish-looking Ulota ‘crispa’ with somewhat intermediate characters.

Sanionia uncinata clumps on lower twigs

Racomitrium ericoides up a tree!