Pal y Cwrt pit stop

Last Saturday we went for a drive over Mynydd Du and during a pit stop at Pal y Cwrt in the hope of a migrant Ring Ouzel (none, but lots of Wheatears in song) I noticed a lovely patch of Antennaria dioica, which was lf in a 6m x 4m area at SN67681813. I made a very quick list of associates and grabbed a small sample with a mix of liverworts and some fruiting Weissia for checking, from the location arrowed above, these being: Ctenidium molluscum, Ditrichum gracile, Encalypta streptocarpa, Hypnum cupressiforme var. lacunosum, Lophozia excisa, Plagiochila porelloides, Thymus polytrichus, Tortella tortuosa and Weissia brachycarpa var. obliqua. My sample also contained shoots that look very much like Bryum kunzei, which is not known from Carmarthensire, so I'll send the sample to Tom, unless Sam would like to take a look first.

Upper Clydach Valley

Three logs with some healthy patches of Riccardia palmata (above) were the highlight of a one hour search in woodland within the Upper Clydach Valley above Rhyd-y-fro this morning. As with my visit to the adjacent square last week I never actually made it to the river, such was the quality of the feeder stream. Associates of the Riccardia logs included Calypogeia muelleriana, Nowellia curvifolia, Plagiothecium curvifolium, and some lovely fruiting Tetraphis pellucida. Atrichum crispum was noted along a peaty watercourse and there were swathes of Plagiochila porelloides (below) along the roadside bank of St Illtyd’s Walk, all adding to the enjoyment of an outing on a refreshingly pleasant day for a change. SN70D (NPT) finished on 68, with a few samples still to check.

P. porelloides along St Illtyd's Walk

male P. porelloides