Tylorstown & Llanwonno

A belated post from an outing on 23 March -

My first full day of bryophyte recording in I don't know how long took me to ST09, one of the more under-recorded hectads in Rhondda Cynon Taf with only 4 of the 25 constituent tetrads having 60+ bryo species recorded.

I started at Tylorstown Tip (aka Old Smokey), which despite being such a prominent Rhondda landmark didn't appear to have any previous bryophyte records.

The north side of the tip (split between ST09C and ST09H) produced a list of 63 species, the best of those on the colliery spoil being Barbilophozia floerkei, Ptilidium ciliare, Riccardia multifida, Climacium dendroides and Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus. The scattered young larches proved good for epiphytes including a single weft of Sanionia uncinata (photo below) and a large(ish) cushion of Colura calyptrifolia in an exposed location near the top of the tip (at 430m, with just some scattered young spruce for shelter).

After lunch I moved on to the southern end of the Llanwonno forestry plantation, where ST09G was a blank canvas as far as bryophyte recording goes. Rotting conifer logs among the Sitka held plenty of Nowellia curvifolia, Calypogeia muelleriana was found on a ditchside, Colura was recorded on birch and rowan and Ulota calvescens on willow (but no Daltonia was forthcoming despite actively searching for it). A puzzling Metzgeria with very narrow thalli was also found on willow (see photo below - note the Frullania which gives a sense of scale). This might be the male shoots of M. furcata mentioned in Paton but if anyone has any other ideas please let me know.

All in all it was a productive day but lacking anything to live long in the memory. 103 species were recorded, spread across four tetrads, with 135 new tetrad records being made.

The Gloucestershire Bryophyte group at Llangattock

The Glos bryology group arranged an out-of-county day at the eastern end of Llangattock this year, to give us a bit of a change from the usual neutral / calcareous woodlands and grasslands of our own county. 7 of us turned up at the quarry car park on a chilly Sunday morning in March, to explore the conical spoil heaps, fallen boulders and quarry walls of the area. We didn’t get very far (as usual!), but still managed to record 97 species for the square SO2015.

Highlights of the day were Racomitrium canescens on the grassland at SO20241554, and Bryum elegans on a fallen boulder at the base of the quarry (SO20491535). Both are new species for VC 42.

Racomitrium canescens

Bryum elegans in situ

Bryum elegans: Note reflexed hair-points and border of long narrow cells

We spotted some lovely patches of Sanionia uncinata sheltered within the walls of an old building and scattered throughout the grass on the spoil heaps above.

The Climacium dendroides was looking particularly photogenic and I just couldn’t resist...

We saw Philonotis calcarea, new to many of us, and Sharon Pilkington unintentionally collected Philonotis arnelli in amongst another specimen. Sharon also spotted Distichium inclinatum on the outside wall of the derelict building – there were old capsules which were clearly inclined, and new ones coming which I will go back and photograph if I get a chance.

Further to the west, David Hawkins found Calliergon cordifolium in shallow pools on the quarry bottom, but sadly the inevitable rain arrived about then, so we have no photos.

Finally, not to forget the liverworts, some beautiful Ptilidium ciliare on rocks amongst the grassland to the west of the spoil heaps:

And Tritomaria quinquedentata on the spoil heaps amongst the grass and other bryophytes:

All in all, we had a fantastic day and are planning a return trip soon for those who couldn’t make the first visit.

Mellte bits and pieces

Also seen during yesterday's visit to the valley Plagiochila killarniensis (bifaria) in association with Bartramia pomiformis by the cliff path above Sgwd Clun Gwyn Isaf.

Barbilophozia attenuata and Zygodon rupestris on oak, plus Sanionia uncinata on a log below Sgwd y Pannwr.

Loeskeobryum habitat and distribution in Neath Port Talbot

Loeskeobryum brevirostre, Cwm-hwnt forestry, NPT

Here's an update on the distribution of Loeskeobryum brevirostre in Glamorgan (tetrads), at least according to my current Mapmate records, All records (except for one in the Pyrddin Valley, Brecon side of the river) are for NPT, where it is most frequently associated with larch, particularly on reclaimed coal tips and open cast. There is plenty of this habitat elsewhere in Glamorgan, e.g. in Bridgend and RCT. There may be less suitable habitat in Swansea but the Penllegaer plantation may be  good place to look for it. This is a relatively new ecology for this species but its association with coal tips has been mentioned before. In the Pyrddin Valley it is found in a more 'native', humid-ravine type habitat.

Apparent distribution of Loeskeobryum brevirostre in Glamorgan

Other interesting species that occur in similar places include Sanionia uncinata.

Sanionia uncinata. Cwm-hwnt Forestry

Gwendraeth Fawr

An area of M23b-S5 transition on the floodplain of the Gwendraeth Fawr had a strong population of Amblystegium radicale in an otherwise bryo-poor marsh community. I've only seen this species a few times before and never growing as well or as erect as this, and with the largest leaves up to 1.7mm long (Smith gives max. as 1.4mm), confirmation or otherwise would be appreciated. The narrow, but long decurrent leaf bases seem to be key.

Willows along the adjacent disused canal/railway (now mostly wet woodland) supported locally frequent patches of fruiting Homalia trichomanoides, with occasional curly shoots of Sanionia uncinata intermixed.

Finally, an area of tightly grazed turf on what appears to be the remnant of an old tip was largely dominated by a Weissia  (photo below right) that had a few clusters of young sporophytes. The presence of frequent Bryum pallescens (with old and develping sporophytes), perhaps suggests this might be W. controversa var. densifolia, but the expanse of Weissia was more of a crust than the dense cushions I've seen at other sites. Again opinion would be welcome, but I suspect it will simply have to be logged as Weissia sp. A non-fruiting and indeterminate Cephaloziella (photo below left) was the only other frequent bryo at this interesting little area.

Mynydd Aberdare

A short stop in the falling snow on the west side of Mynydd Aberdare today added 40-45 species to SO00C & SO00D. The area I looked at was a mixed Larch/Pine plantation with plenty calcicoles along the verges. Didymodon ferrugineus (first two photos) was locally frequent and was found growing alongside both fallax and insulanus, the differences then being quite obvious. Other associates included Calliergonella lindbergii, Ditrichum gracile, Encalypta streptocarpa, etc.

The branches of the Japanese Larches were heavily clothed in epiphytes, including a few patches of Sanionia uncinata (also noted on the track edge at one spot), but the oddest species noted growing on a branch just above head height was Racomitrium ericoides! Has anyone else ever seen this up a tree before? I’ve also retained a reddish-looking Ulota ‘crispa’ with somewhat intermediate characters.

Sanionia uncinata clumps on lower twigs

Racomitrium ericoides up a tree!