Have camera, will travel

A couple of bryo-twitches in the last few days enabled me to tick and learn three of my target species for 2018; Campylopus subulatus and Sphenolobopsis pearsonii on Friday and Seligeria campylopoda today. The Sphenolobopsis site on the Hepste below Sgwd-yr-Eira was really quite spectacular, especially after the recent rains. The population seemed quite healthy based on Graham and Sam's site report and I couldn't help wondering if some of the dark patches on some of the inaccessible cliffs might also support this species.

As per Sam's comment in the previous post  by Charles, the Campylopus subulatus site at Pontneddfechan is very different to the forest track sites. In addition to the Campylopus, there was a surprisingly rich assemblage of associates growing in the gritty deposits of the huge rock mass in the river (which presumably floods or is sprayed in full spate). These included Anomobryum julaceum (photo below), Blepharostoma trichophyllum and Lophozia excisa, though the latter looked a bit different to material I've seen previously, so I've attached a photo for comment in case I've made a mistake. Some male bracts with developing antheridia were evident, so I presume these are just sexually ripening shoots.

Today's pit-stop in the Wye for Seligeria campylopoda, at the site suggested by Sam last year, was frustrated by the fact that I'd remembered my camera, but I'd forgotten my hand-lens! Thankfully the unripe curved setae were easily visible and every one of the half dozen rocks I looked at held the moss in variable abundance. The record shot I took of the site shows there is now a lot more brash at this location, though not at a level likely to affect the Seligeria.

Another new species for me (if verified), growing on the same shaley dripping cliff on the Mellte where Bartramia ithyphylla is known, was what I'm pretty sure is Solenostoma sphaerocarpum (voucher retained). Paroicous with spherical perianths (one visible in image below) and bright green rounded leaves are some of the characters which point to this species. Features under the microscopic all conformed nicely too.

Rocky stream

Last Sunday we went up to play in the last of the snow near Storey Arms, which gave me an opportunity for a quick forage in an unfamiliar habitat - an upland stream with plenty of Old Red Sandstone boulders.

I took small samples from a fair range of species for checking under the microscope. Some were unfamiliar so it's taken me a while to get through them all. As well as a few species I've only seen a few times - Blindia acuta, Amphidium mougeotii, Gymnostomum aeruginosum - were two which were new to me - Anomobryum julaceum (var. julaceum) and Tortella bambergeri (poor photos below). There is also a Grimmia which I'm not sure about (will blog separately about this).

Tortella bambergeri

Anomobryum julaceum

Graham has commented on this blog in the past that the area between Storey Arms and Craig Cerrig NNR is the best recorded part of Breconshire, so these records may not contribute anything new to the VC42 database, but on a personal level it was a useful exercise to familiarise myself with the typical species in a habitat not present in my local area.