Back to Cwm Parc and other things

In an effort to get SS99N up to a respectable number, we spent a misty afternoon in the plantation above Cwm Park (RCT) - don't get excited! There's been quite a lot clear felling up there, so it's all in a bit of a mess at the moment. The forest road was disappointing, but some extensive patches of Campylium protensum were interesting and of course some nice patches of ubiquitous Colura. The total for the tetrad now stands at 76 which is probably a fair representation for the area.
Twenty minutes in a small arable patch near Margam Park  (SS88C) was more fun with Riccia glauca (and sorocarpa), Physcomitrium pyriforme, Tortula modica (and truncata), Phascum cuspidatum, Dicranella staphylina, frequent patches of Leptobryum pyriforme and Bryum rubens and lots of the other usual suspects. Because arable land is so rare in NPT, it is a joy to find even a small patch like this. The new total for the tetrad is a disappointing 68, so a bit more work in order there.

Riccia glauca in arable plot near Margam Park

Physcomitrium pyriforme in arable plot near Margam Park

A casual stop at the side of the road at Ynysygerwn, near Aberdulais, yielded a fabulous population of Riccia sorocarpa growing on some bare earth beneath a young Cherry tree.

Riccia sorocarpa, Ynysygerwn

We've spent some time recently trying to nail those little Bryum erythrocarpum agg. specimens that are so common along forest roads. Our data is imperfect but Bryum ruderale seems to be well represented although B. violaceum and B. subapiculatum are also out there.

Mynydd Lliw

SN599019, the search restricted to the yellow areas

At just over 40m a.s.l., Mynydd Lliw is hardy mountainous, nor is it very natural, most of the substrate comprising restored colliery spoil. I've done very little bryologising this week, so I took Alfie out for an hour this afternoon to a part of this site I've not been to before - an area that looked interesting on the aerial images. Following today's downpours, the mosses were luxuriant and it turned out that the brown areas on the aerials were concrete bases dominated by a deep cushion of Didymodon ferrugineus, with some patches of cf. D. rigidulus (both species shown together below).

Of the 26 species noted growing on a thin crust of detritus over the concrete, others of interest included - in decreasing abundance - Trichostumum crispulum, Bryoerythrophyllum ferruginascens, Calliergonella lindbergii, Riccia glauca, R. sorocarpa and Tortula modica.

Horns a-plenty

On Fridays I mostly look after my younger daughter Amy, but I do get a couple of hours of play time while she is in nursery school - ideal for topping up the bryo counts for some local tetrads. On Friday last week conditions were ideal - some morning rain to moisten up the bryos nicely after the recent dry spell, replaced by sunshine by the time I ventured out.

My target was the west (VC41) bank of the River Rhymney north of Llanedern Bridge. I looked at a short section south of the bridge a year ago but only managed 30 taxa, so wanted to try and bump this up a bit. The usual range of flood zone bryophytes was present, including plenty of fruiting Leskea polycarpa. Of more interest to me were some large patches of fruiting Fissidens crassipes on riverbank rocks (convincing microscopically, with cell and peristome measurements within the ranges given in Smith), the first time I've seen this species on the local rivers.

A patch of knotweed on the riverbank had been chemically treated, allowing bryophytes to flourish on the newly-created bare ground. Both Riccia glauca and R. sorocarpa were present here.

Riccia glauca

Riccia sorocarpa

The best was still to come though. Across the track from the river was a large, grassy arable field and here, along with more crystalworts, were two species of hornwort: large male and female rosettes of Phaeoceros laevis and much smaller rosettes of Anthoceros with well developed horns. Frustratingly, try as I might, I couldn't find any male organs on the Anthoceros sample I brought home, so it will have to go down as Anthoceros sp. (though it's very likely to be A. agrestis as the rosettes were small). Other typical arable bryos were also abundant: Ephemerum minutissimum, Dicranella scherberiana, Trichodon cylindricus and Tortula truncata.

Anthoceros sp.

Anthoceros rosettes

Phaeoceros laevis (female)

Phaeoceros laevis (male)

Phaeoceros laevis (male organs)

I still haven't quite got this tetrad up to 60 species, but perhaps Sam has some records from the eastern (VC35) half?

Ty-du Moors SSSI

I spent a fascinating and enjoyable day on this Cardiff fen with Julian Woodman, trying to work out why base-rich areas (with Eriophorum latifolium, Epipactis palustris, Gymnadenia sp. and Triglochin palustris) are becoming increasingly dominated by Sphagnum subnitens and Aulacomnium palustre.  We concluded that more work is needed, with input from Gareth Farr (what a shame you couldn't join us today, Gareth), but probing revealed over 2.5m of peat near the centre of the moor, whilst test coring showed that the base-rich areas and associated Juncus subnodulosus fen are on continuous peat, whereas the edges of the moor with Carex acutiformis fen has a layer of organic-rich clay-silt above the peat.

Campylium protensum is locally abundant in the remaining good, base-rich areas, along with Fissidens adianthoides, Plagiomnium ellipticum, P. undulatum and one stand of Dicranum bonjeanii.  Chiloscyphus pallescens and Cratoneuron filicinum were only in one area.  Poached damp grassland held Pseudephemerum nitidum and one patch of Ephemerum serratum. 

A check of surrounding Willow scrub was worthwhile, with a fruiting patch of Pylaisia polyantha on one Willow, as well as commoner epiphytes.  I think this is the 2nd Glamorgan record, following one on south Gower.  It's a pity that I found this epiphyte after George had left us, following his visit in the morning.  Nearby Alder carr held a peculiar tiny, narrow-leaved moss with gemmae on the leaf tips, forming an extensive patch on a well-rotted log.  I'm 99% certain this is Plagiothecium latebricola. {sorry about the bad iPod photos, I wish I knew how to rotate them in Blogger}.
 

Julian and I ended the day with a visit to some wonderful damp arable fields that Nick, the owner of Ty-du Moors, manages.  We relocated the Anthoceros that Julian and George saw last autumn, and I have a specimen to measure (though it's 99% certain to be A. agrestis).  Alongside were several thalli of Phaeoceros sp. (probably P. carolinianus but needing more study), and abundant Riccia glauca and Fossombronia sp.

All in all a good day, and I hope a boost for tetrad ST17E.

Back to the bash

Insects have started to leave a bit of space in my brain for bryophytes to fill. It must be September. Barry recently sent me an updated tetrad map which reminded me that I still had some unfinished business in north-east Cardiff before starting on the western Vale and southern RCT.

Last weekend I spent a little while square bashing in the Glamorgan part of ST28H, which had only 5 species recorded. As expected it wasn't very exciting bryologically - the eastern part of Coed Wern-ddu produced a predictable list of woodland species. As I got back to the car I noticed a maize field with a convenient public footpath running through it, and a few minutes here proved more interesting than the hour spent in the woodland. The maize field margins were thick with bryos including Riccia glauca, R. sorocarpa, Trichodon cylindricus and Bryum rubens.

This tetrad is now up to a reasonable species total but needs some further work along the lanes and beside the River Rhymney to pull it up to a good total.

Arable adventure

Inspired by Barry's and Sam's recent posts, I took my first tentative steps into arable bryophytes yesterday lunchtime, when I took a trip to the nearest arable fields to my house in my lunch hour. These are at Radyr, Cardiff (ST1279) and only 3 km from home.

I wasn't expecting much but the cereal stubbles were stuffed with bryophytes. I really felt like I'd stepped back in time two years and was a complete bryo novice again, the species were so unfamiliar - apart from a few waste ground regulars like Barbula unguiculata.

I've still a pile of material to go through but species identified so far include Phascum cuspidatum var cuspidatum, Ephemerum minutissimum (spores checked) and lots of crystalworts. Most were Riccia sorocarpa but there was also a second, less glaucous species, see photos below. I thought this might be R. subbifurca rather than R. glauca, based on the small size of the thallus branches (only just over 1mm wide), but I'm really not sure.

Any thoughts? Thanks again.