Getting involved in  bryology in Yorkshire

Active recording of bryophytes in Yorkshire takes place via a couple of formal meetings of the Bryophyte Section of the Yorkshire Naturalist Union (YNU) each year. They are posted on the YNU website here. Bryologist can often be encountered on the other YNU outings, although there is currently no formal system in place.

Yorkshire is blessed with many local natural history societies, and bryophyte recording often takes place on these. We are in the process of establishing a way communicating attendance of other meetings, or of inviting and attending other informal or short-notice meetings, as well as setting up regional groups. More details should appear here soon.

Yorkshire Landscapes

Yorkshire has an impressive diversity of landscapes, all of which have host bryological interest. Much has been written about these in various forms. There are three National Parks, the Yorkshire Dales (v.c. 64 &65) and North York Moors (v.c. 62) with a little of the Peak District also in Yorkshire (v.c. 63). Part of Upper Teesdale (v.c. 65) is Yorkshire and there is extensive coast, largely with dunes and soft cliff (v.c. 61 & 62) a few areas of saltmarsh (v.c. 61). There are two National Landscapes, Nidderdale (v.c. 64), and the Howardian Hills (v.c. 62). Between all these are the Pennine Gritstones, the narrow strip of Magnesian limestone, the extensive clay vale of York and the great lowland rivers, and the chalk Wolds. In all of these landscapes, fragments of semi-natural habitat sit alongside legacies of landscape exploitation and modification giving rise to a rich diversity of habitats. I hope in future to have a short account of the diversity of habitats in each vice-county, but for now the following provide an excellent background the environment and natural history of Yorkshire’s landscapes:

• Yorkshire Dales, New Naturalist No. 130, by John Lee provides typical high quality you would expect of this series introducing the landscape, geology, history and habitats of the National Park.
• South Yorkshire Plant Atlas by Willmore, Lunn & Rodwell includes excellent introductory sections including the geology and vegetation communities found throughout South Yorksire.
• Yorkshire’s Forgotten Fens by Ian Rotheram presents the ecological and cultural history of the lowland fens of Yorkshire. They are perhaps not the most bryologically interesting part, but still a fascinating landscape with plenty of under-recorded habitats and sites.
• Thorne Moors: A Botanical Survey provides background and maps of both vascular plants and bryophytes for one of the most significant lowland raised bogs in England. The flora includes bryophytes provides an introduction and history of the sadly much degraded site.

Rare and interesting bryophytes in Yorkshire

The Recorder is early in the process of compiling a ‘State of Yorkshire’s Bryophytes’ report, to sit alongside the excellent work of the YNU on the status of other groups. The formal publication of the State of Yorkshire’s Nature included the following summary of bryophytes:

Category	Extant	Not Recorded since 1970	Total
Critically Endangered CR	3	6	9
Endangered EN	2	7	9
Vulnerable VU	6	6	12
Other, incl. Near Threatened NT, Least Concern LC and Data Deficient DD	639	56	695
Nationally Extinct	0	2	2

The results of a more detailed review of species will provide a focus for some systematic recording in the future, identifying key species and populations. Anyone who enjoys working with large datasets and has spare time is invited to get in touch with the County Recorder to help with the work. In the interim, there have been some excellent recent publications on special species found in Yorkshire as follows:

Orthodontium gracile (Slender Thread-moss) – a Critically endangered species of gritstone crags, recently re-found at the Strid, Wharfedale: Porley, R. (2024). Orthodontium gracile on the Wharfe: a big birthday bonus. Field Bryology 132: 53-55.

Thamnobryum cataractarum (Yorkshire Feather-moss) is Critically Endangered species known only from Twisleton Glen in the Yorkshire Dales: Callaghan, D. A. (2022). Population status and ecology of the narrow endemic moss Thamnobryum cataractarum N.G.Hodgetts & Blockeel in England. Journal of Bryology, 44(1), 80–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/03736687.2022.2047547

Tortula cernua (Flamingo Moss) – a Critically Endangered species restricted to the kiln waste on the Magnesian limestone: Heathcote, S.J. & Blockeel, T.L. (2019) Tortula cernua: flamingos of the Don Valley in 2018. Field Bryology, 122, 16-22.

 Yorkshire Bryophyte Archive

There is a long history of bryological recording in Yorkshire, and since Mary Dalby’s time paper records were kept for individual species noting occurrences. Although the more significant of these have been digitised and are available with the BBS data on the NBN Atlas, some records remain only in paper format. Anyone wishing to view these records should get in touch with the County Recorder.