Waungron, Grovesend

I found some Didymodon fallax in fruit during this morning's Alfie-time, at a small coal spoil site (SN599020) near home that has long been overgrown with dense mat of Calliergonella cuspidata. The fruiting plants, found growing on a crust of soil on a mound of broken concrete (photo below), had leaves considerably more recurved than the bulk of plants noted elsewhere at the site. Although the leaves and reddish colour of the lower leaves suggested ferrugineus (a species for which capsules are unrecorded in Britain), closer examination confirmed it was indeed just fallax. Elongate cells on the adaxial side of the costa ruled out insulanus, although I must confess these cells weren't as defined as illustrated (photo below).

There were no species of any real note, but Syntrichia ruralis ssp. ruraliformis and fruiting Dicranella varia provided some local interest.

SN60I Cwmcerdinen verges

It surprises me sometimes how many species you can find in the most unlikely looking spots. Yesterday I stopped at the cattle grid at the entrance to the village as there was a bit of tarmac and flushed gravel to look at before I headed on to my target of the riparian woodland. In the end I spent nearly an hour in this area where I found a base-rich seepage dominated by Pellia endiviifolia and Dicranella varia as well as a section of verge with species such as Solenostoma gracillimum under a mat of Wahlenbergia hederacea. Plus there was some nice wet heath adjacent to the road with all the commoner Sphagnum spp., etc. On a few occasions recently I've found non-fruiting Fossombronia, which is very frustrating! Hoping to take Alfie for a ‘walk’ in the next tetrad today...

SN63660603 Wahlenbergia verge with 'understory' of
Solenostoma gracillimum

SN63680615 cattle grid seepage with abundant
Pellia endiviifolia and Dicranella varia