Riccia crystallina spotted by Sharon Pilkington whilst surveying along the Fal Estuary in Cornwall recently. It was growing on Turnaware Point, one of the places used to board troops for the D-day landings in 1944 and now owned by the National Trust. Although it’s quite remote, the area gets quite a few visitors by foot, boat and bike, and there were thousands of rosettes growing in grassland charred from multiple campfires and BBQs.
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Brachythecium salebrosum (Smooth-stalked Feather-moss) is one of a few similar (and sometimes tricky) Brachytheciums with long, triangular leaves and fine tips. Jonathan Sleath has nicely captured the long, gradually tapered, plicate leaves in this specimen from Micheldever Wood in Hampshire.
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Aneura mirabilis (Ghostwort) found by Andrew Branson on December 20th 2022, new to VC5 (South Somerset). It was found in the Blackdown Hills in an open scrubby area with much Sphagnum palustre, S. fimbriatum and S. auriculatum. This small plant was growing under a S. palustre hummock near the base of a Downy Birch.
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This month's image just demonstrates the beauty of ordinary mosses, for those who are willing to look and see. Here we have immature capsules of the extremely common Bryum dichotomum (Bicoloured Bryum), taken towards the end of the day as the light was beginning to fade. Normally recognised by its abundant bulbils, B. dichotomum also often has capsules which are pendulous, relatively short and fat, and often have a mamillate lid like these.
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Luxuriant Fossombronia wondraczekii (Acid Frillwort) growing on soil banks around the Usk Reservoir in October 2022. Curiously, of the 4 reservoirs in Brecknock visited this autumn, this was the only one where any Fossombronia was found.
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Mielichhoferia elongata (Elongate Copper Moss) captured recently at one of its 2 known sites in England, in the Cleveland Hills, North Yorkshire - where it seems to be doing very well!
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Probably better known by its old name of Pleurochaete squarrosa (Side-fruited Crisp-moss), this photo was taken on limestone pavement at Gait Barrows NNR in Lancashire, and shows the plant both moist (in the mid-ground) and dry (in the background). Always a pleasure to find!
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Scapania nimbosa (Cloud Earwort) is a relatively rare liverwort of cool, wet climates and a typical member of the northern hepatic mat of north-west Scotland. It is instantly recognisable in the field by the long, spinose teeth. This specimen was spotted by Gordon Rothero on Corra Bheinn during the recent BBS meeting on Jura. It was growing as scattered shoots amongst other liverwort species. You can see more photos on the Species page at https://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/learning/species-finder/scapania-nimbosa/.
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Glyphomitrium davesii (Black-tufted moss) was a fairly frequent occurrence on the recent BBS meeting on Jura. This is an easy species to overlook unless it happens to be fruiting, which fortunately it often does! This abundantly fruiting specimen was spotted by David Long, on the side of a boulder near Glenbatrick on the west coast.
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From a specimen collected at Merthen Wood in Cornwall on the 2022 BBS Spring Meeting. Sharon Pilkington led a couple of very successful searches along the creeks around the Helford River, where it was frequently found growing with Cephaloziella turneri (Bryophyte of the month for April) . It is quite a tricky species to photograph in the field though, thanks to its habit of growing in shady underhangs along creek banks.
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