Tâf Fechan [SO01K square bash]

Left vc42, right vc41

As I was in Merthyr on Friday and I had a spare hour, I made a quick sojourn into SO01K, which was on a paltry 10 species. Even within my limited time slot I was able to quickly add an additional 64 species to the list for what is undoubtedly a much richer partial tetrad. There was also interest before reaching my target the square, when crossing Pontsarn viaduct I noticed a nice colony of Grimmia orbicularis on the Brecon side, new for vc42 according to the blog county lists.

Once in the square a large decorticated log was found to hold a good colony of Riccardia palmata (below; photo 1) and the limestone outcrops & boulders supported abundant drapes of Neckera crispa on dry cliffs with sheets of Conocephalum salebrosum in damper sections. The most interesting species of the drier sections were Loeskeobryum brevirostre (photo 2), Scapania aspera (photo 3) and Platydictya jungermannioides (photos 4-7), the latter new for Glamorgan with 3 small colonies noted in crevices, but with plenty of the same habitat, it seems likely there will be a strong population at this site.

 

Interest on the wetter sections was provided by Cololejeunea calcarea, Eucladium verticillatum, Leiocolea bantriensis (below; photo 1) and Seligeria acutifolia (photos 2 & 3). Well worth a revist - park on the vc42 side of the bridge, cross over and drop down from the Glamorgan side - very easy access.

 

 

Nedd-fechan in pictures 2

Sam introduced Charles and myself to the very easily overlooked Platydictya jungermannioides (photos 1-2), growing in much the same habitat as Orthothecium intricatum (photo 3), both characteristically occupy humid, shady crevices on limestone. Further downstream there was a small colony of another equally unobtrusive pleurocarp, Amblystegium confervoides (photos 4-5), found growing on a stone embedded in the woodland floor.

All the above were found in what was a reasonably open section of ravine, but with damp vertical cliffs on both sides proving to be productive, the cliff on the right hand bank being higher up the slope. I think Charles is photographing Rhynchostegiella teneriffae in the first pic, the lower photo shows Sam inspecting an emergence hole on the r.h.b. with a decent flow of water surfacing.