Holiday Bryophytes - lots of leskeas

Alpine habitat, La Tofane

We were in the Dolomites in July this year, our third visit to this fabulous mountain range in Northern Italy. Most of our attention was paid to the spectacular alpine flowering plants but we did note a few bryophytes.
 The subalpine forests have an extraordinary abundance of Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus and Hylocomium splendens (and lots of orchids, including Lady's Slipper) in stark contrast to our local, acidic Sitka forests with their abundant carpets of Rhytidiadelphus loreus. 

Rhytidiadephus triquetrus and Hylocomium splendens in spruce forest near Cortina

The geology is predominantly limestone and lots of typical calcicole bryophytes are represented plus some really nice mountain species that are rare in Britain. In the province of Belluno, between Cortina D'Ampezzo and the Falzarego Pass, some excellent trails took us above tree-line into alpine tundra where there were wallcreeper.  In the rocky tundra below La Tofane Ptychodium plicatum (Plaited Leskea) was growing with Saxifraga oppositifolia (Purple Saxifrage) on some sheltered limestone boulders. 

Ptychodium plicatum and Saxifraga oppositifolia, la Tofane

H and Mark on Wallcreeper twitch above Falzarego Pass

On a hike to the Rifugio Locatelli from the famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo we encountered small parties of snow finches flitting about rocks covered with Pseudoleskea incurvata.  Later, in the mountains above Selva in the Val Gardena we found some Pseudoleskea patens (Patent Leskea) which gave us a good opportunity to compare these very similar species. In the end we had to bring samples home to examine the shape of the mid-leaf cells to confirm their identities.

Pseudoleskea incurvata with Salix herbacea (Dwarf Willow) near Rifugio Lavaredo

Pseudoleskea patens, Selva

The short walk to Baita Monzoni in the Val San Nicolo near Pozza di Fassa follows a forest road through a moist, mossy subalpine forest. Bartramia halleriana (Haller's Apple-moss) and Campyllophyllum halleri (Haller's Feather-moss) were on the base rich rocks here - the latter is a Red DataBook moss in the UK. Nearby on a large limestone boulder at the side of the road we noted a large, striking mat of Pterigynandrum filiforme (Capillary Wing-moss). From Monzoni the trail climbs up, eventually, to the Pas de la Sele and allows access to an outstanding alpine flora which includes lots of saxifrages (e.g. the endemic Saxifraga depressa) and other nice things like Papaver rhaeticum (Alpine Poppy), Phyteuma sieberi (Sieber's Rampion), Primula glutinosa (Sticky Primrose) and Ranunculus glacialis (Glacier Crowfoot).

Bartramia halleriana near Baita Monzoni

Bartramia halleriana with capsules

Campylophyllum halleri near Baita Monzoni

Pterigynandrum filiforme on a boulder near Baita Monzoni

Pterigynandrum filiforme Baita Monzoni

On a trip to Sottogudo we walked along a narrow road through a spectacular gorge where  Orthothecium rufescens (Red Leskea) was hanging from dripping limestone outcrops. There were some nice clumps of Selaginella helvetica here too. 

Orthothecium rufescens, Sottogudo Gorge

Orthothecium rufescens, Sottogudo Gorge

Selaginella helvetica, Sottogudo Gorge

Although the landscape of the Dolomites is dominated by limestone there are some extensive cliffs and outcrops of more acidic igneous rock which support a different flora, e.g. on and around Forcia Neigra near Alba. Our attention was stolen by some nice cushions of Eritrichium nanum (King-or-the-Alps) but we also noticed some conspicuous dark cushions of Grimmia montana (Sun Grimmia).

Grimmia montana, Forcia Neigra

Days in the Black Mountains - 1 Hatterall Ridge

In contrast to the Brecon Beacons - which Graham and I surveyed systematically in the early/mid 2000s - the Black Mountains are very under-recorded.  They have relatively fewer crags than the Beacons, but those which are present hold some very base-rich rock.  Star species include Seligeria patula and Scapania calcicola on Tarren yr Esgob, an old record of Amblyodon dealbatus, and even a historic claim of Myurella julacea.  We hope to fill in some gaps in recording this year, and I made a start on two days in early-mid January 2018.

My first day was spent in Monmouthshire, where I filled in three marginal tetrads: the fragmentary SO23R and SO32E held fewer than 20 species each, but SO23V was pretty rich, with well over 100 species.  I walked up on to the Hatterall Ridge from the east, between the Red Darren and Black Darren in Herefordshire.  Once on the ridge I marched north to the northernmost point of VC35, which is marked by a tiny cairn.  The northernmost bryophyte in the county turned out to be Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, and half an hour of combing the dry blanket bog produced just 11 species.  Surprise highlight of the area was a patch of leggy Bilberry at >600m altitude that sported 10+ tufts of Ulota bruchii and a tuft of Orthotrichum pulchellum!

The blanket bog on the Hatterall Ridge is mostly very dry and degraded, but I made a few DAFOR lists as I worked my way south.  Highlights were a 1x1m mound of Sphagnum capillifolium rubellum at SO275311, 10s of square metres of S. cuspidatum and S. papillosum in an area of pools at SO281306, and a few shoots of Cephalozia connivens in the latter area.  Cowberry and Crowberry were prominent features of the area.

A contrast to the blanket bog/moorland was provided by the hillside above Trevelog, at 420-450m altitude; this accounted for the majority of the bryophyte diversity in SO23V.  There were Old Red Sandstone boulders with Ptychomitrium polyphyllum, Seligeria recurvata and Tortella fasciculata, a deep valley with Entosthodon obtusus, Ditrichum gracile, Gymnostomum aeruginosum and abundant Conocephalum salebrosum, and a series of base-rich rills with Philonotis calcarea, Palustriella falcata, Jungermannia exsertifolia, Leiocolea bantriensis, Plagiomnium ellipticum and P. elatum.  Star find was some dense patches of Riccardia incurvata alongside one of the rills, new for the Black Mountains and VC35.

After these riches I reckoned the tetrad was well-covered, so climbed back up to the ridge so as to head southwards to SO32E.  En route I noticed a frozen flush high on the hillside in SO22Z, so headed for it.  My logic was that if a spring/flush was cold enough to be frozen when the rest of the hill had thawed then it should hold something rare.  I followed it upwards, and found two extensive patches of Sphagnum platyphyllum at SO286297 & SO287297 - my logic had proved right!  This was a new species for the Black Mountains and VC35, and is a long way south of its nearest colonies in mid Wales and the Long Mynd.  It was also the most well-marked S. platyphyllum I have ever seen, with large apical buds, pale stems, large stem leaves and regularly monoclade shoots.

SO32E still beckoned, and on my way there I spied another rushy spring on the ridge edge.  This too held Sphagnum platyphyllum at SO297287, as well as S. capillifolium rubellum and S. papillosum.  The final fragmentary tetrad produced 17 species, which was all that could be expected from a few hundred square metres of dry, patch-burnt blanket bog.  All in all it was a good day!