Bryo bits bonus

A quick tour at lunchtime on a beautiful day turned up some nice rewards. First up a pass over a ditch for some known species produced liverworts Diplophyllum albicans and Calypogeia arguta that I knew were there, before rolling a log to uncover a nice Brown Centipede in the woodland. Also picked up a millipede which I probably have previously recorded, but not this year. I also uncovered Plagiothecium undulatum in a place I didn't spot it before.

Diplophyllum abicans

Plagiothecium undulatum

Quick look at the water showed it was pretty but unproductive, before I dropped into a small corner that is building a reputation for providing surprises. It certainly did this time with a new liverwort. How did I not notice before Lunularia cruciata! With this area having Pellia endivifolia and Conocephalum conicum, I probably just assumed that green patch was one of those.

Lunularia cruciata

Pellia endivifolia

A small swarm of flies (Nematocera. Winter gnats?) were dancing in the dappled sunlight under the pines and I managed to catch one in my collecting box by sweeping up through them and shutting the lid quickly. Hopefully this will produce an identification.

Dancing flies in the winter sun

Frullania dilitata

Very cute little liverwort, and fairly common too.

The alien landscape of Frullania fruticulosa

This little liverwort is a weird looking thing, especially close up. Here's what it looks like on a tree, and then a selection of microscope views. The leaf cells close up look like some kind of antique glassware.

Scapania undulata, also from the 26th

After sharing my list my omission of Radula complanata and Sanionia uncinata have been corrected, and we're getting close to a compete list (which hasn't been finalised yet). Also missed were Bryum gemmiferum and pseudotriquetrum. At least one more species is in the lab awaiting analysis.

Thanks to SB, for whom here's the Scapania...

Scapania undulata, Water Earwort

26-01-2014

Bryophyte bonanza!

A recording meeting of bryologists gathered under the cloudy sky yesterday morning to "do" Cullaloe. Species were added thick and fast before we even left the car park area, and when we departed the day total stood at 72 with some packets still to be examined. Adding a list to iRecord from memory this morning I could only remember about 65, which still took the year total to 149. Not bad considering my target for January was 100, and my target for the year for bryophytes was set at a cautious 50. I hadn't factored in the borrowing of several pairs of eyes and some considerable expertise. Just as comforting was the discovery that I hadn't actually horribly misidentified anything thus far!

120    Calypogeia arguta, Notched Pouchwort
121    Frullania dilatata, Dilated Scalewort
122    Lophocolea bidentata, Bifid Crestwort
123    Metzgeria violacea, Blueish Veilwort
124    Pellia endiviifolia, Endive Pellia
125    Scapania undulata, Water Earwort
126    Amblystegium serpens, Creeping Feather-moss
127    Aulacomnium androgynum, Bud-headed Groove-moss
128    Barbula unguiculata, Bird's-claw Beard-moss
129    Bryoerythrophyllum recurvirostrum   
130    Bryum argenteum, Silver-moss
131    Bryum dichotomum, A moss
132    Campylopus introflexus   
133    Didymodon rigidulus, Rigid Beard-moss
134    Didymodon tophaceus, Olive Beard-moss
135    Eurhynchium striatum, Common Striated Feather-moss
136    Fissidens bryoides, Lesser Pocket-moss
137    Homalothecium sericeum, Silky Wall Feather-moss
138    Orthotrichum cupulatum, Hooded Bristle-moss
139    Orthotrichum diaphanum, White-tipped Bristle-moss
140    Oxyrrhynchium hians, Swartz's Feather-moss
141    Racomitrium aciculare, Yellow Fringe-moss
142    Rhynchostegium murale, Wall Feather-moss
143    Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Little Shaggy-moss
144    Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Big Shaggy-moss
145    Schistidium crassipilum, Thickpoint Grimmia
146    Sciuro-hypnum populeum, Matted Feather-moss
147    Ulota crispa, Crisped Pincushion
148    Ulota drummondii, Drummond's Pincushion
149    Zygodon viridissimus, Green Yoke-moss

Coverage chart:

New species add - Diplophyllum albicans

On the banks of the ditch through compartment 6, this liverwort has a pale band running through the centre of the leaf, which has longer cells like a river between the more circular format of the outer leaf. Appears green in the image below but with a hand lens is more obvious depending on the angle of light.

Diplophyllum albicans, White Earwort

BBS Field Guide page

Mud-snorkelling mosses

Walked along the ditch in the woodland at lunchtime, turning up some new bryophytes: - Rhizomnium punctatum, Fissidens taxifolia (brand new), Pellia epiphylla  and another I haven't ID'd yet. I spent too long looking at one and almost lost a wellie.

Also overhead were some Pink-footed Geese in "Cullaloe airspace" (which includes everywhere I can see, bu tin this case they really were!)

Fissidens taxifolia, Great Pocket-moss

BBS Field Guide page

New species add - Frullania tamarisci to bryophytes

This funky little liverwort is hanging out on a branch near to the bird hide/screen. In the lower picture you can see the little diagonal of specialised cells. What they're specialised for I don't know yet.

Frullania tamarisci, Tamarisk Scalewort

BBS field guide page

New species add - Calypogeia muelleriana, Mueller's Pouchwort to Bryophytes

With one unidentified liverwort still to go and numerous unidentified mosses, here's the 26th for the list - the splendidly overlapped Mueller's Pouchwort - Calypogeia muelleriana. It looks a lot like P.fissa, but that species has notched leaves and different underleaves. Not that I've got a good look at the underleaves yet though.

Calypogeia muelleriana, Mueller's Pouchwort

BBS Field Guide page

Bryophyte bonanza!

Gone are the days when I could see four new species of bird on the reserve in one day (or year), but yesterday at lunchtime I spent five minutes exploring an out of the way spot - a banking beside the wee pond - and came up with four new bryophytes. Who knows what else is there! The first thing that caught my eye was a banking of Atrichum undulatuim - Catherine's Moss. But as I was taking a sample I spotted an old tree stump which had been colonised by some interesting greenery.

First up was a fat thalloid liverwort which turned out to be Pellia epiphylla. This is a very common liverwort in the UK and our only monoecious one apparently. The "lady parts" (archegonia) are readily visible towards the tips in the large photo, and the male parts are discernible further up on the midrib on closer inspection (see micro photo further down).

Second on the tree stump was a patch of diaphanous Rhizomnium punctatum - Dotted Thyme-moss. Presumably the "dotted" epiphet comes from the male parts, none of which I saw (yet), but I really don't know. I never saw any dots. Just a nice paddle-like leaf with a nerve stretching to not quite the tip and a healthy helping of (untoothed) border.

Lastly, and only noticed at home, was a tiny leafy liverwort clinging to the big thalloid one. I think at the moment that it's Lophocolea heterophylla - Various-leaved Crestwort, but I'm still looking into it.

The double-toothed Atrichum undulatum

Smorgasbord, with Mnium hornum for good measure

Atrichum undulatum - so many teeth the leaf margins can't contain them

Pellia epiphylla - the male parts further up the plant on the midrib

Rhizomnium punctatum - cute pointy bit on the leaf tip (I forgot its proper name for the moment), and the smooth fat-bordered margin

New species add - Conocephalum conicum, Great Scented Liverwort to Bryophytes

On the wall at the side of the burn opposite the old pumping house. It is both great and scented! Had to wade across in my wellies to get a close picture and it's still pretty dark. Maybe a better one later.

Thanks to Stephen (see list of contributors) for the ID pointer.

Conocephalum conicum, Great Scented Liverwort

BBS FG page

Bryophyte lunchtime

Went to seek out the long-nerved moss from wall photo, try for a better picture of the Liverwort previously found and look for Bracken Club fungus.

Mission one failed, as I couldn't re-locate it in the time allotted - I'm assuming it's still there though. Mission 2 had a so-so result since it's quite dark where the liverwort lives (pic #1 below), and mission 3 proved fruitless, maybe because the timing is wrong. Bracken is dead and dry but maybe not ready to be fungified yet.

However ... mission 1 turned up Grey Cushion Moss, not yet photographed/recorded (by me), and mission 2 seems to have unearthed my second liverwort 2 (pic #2 below). That will be re-visited tomorrow.

My first liverwort! Lophocolea bidentata - Biphid Crestwort

After collecting a tiny white fungus from a fallen oak I started to pick apart the tiny bundle at home. There were two mosses (one more than I thought), but more exciting I noticed in amongst them my first ever liverwort. I was so excited that apparently I forgot to write down the species where I could access it from work. However, thanks to the nice BBS bryophyte key I was able to re-ID it this morning.

BBS field guide page

Lophocolea bidentata, Biphid Crestwort

List - Bryophytes

Pics of Cullaloe's Bryophytes

Scientific name	English name
Amblystegium riparium	Kneiff's Feather-moss
Atrichum undulatum	Catherine’s Moss
Brachythecium rutabulum	Rough-stalked Feather-moss
Bryum capillare	Capillary Thread-moss
Calliergonella cuspidata	Pointed Spear-moss
Calypogeia muelleriana	Mueller's Pouchwort
Climacium dendroides	Tree-moss
Conocephalum conicum	Great Scented Liverwort
Dicranum scoparium	Broom Fork-moss
Dicronella heteromalla	Silky Forklet-moss
Drepanocladus fluitans	Floating Hook-moss
Eurhynchium swartzii	Swartz's Feather-moss
Grimmia pulvinata	Grey Cushion Moss
Hypnum lindbergii	Lindberg's Plait-moss
Hypnum cupressiforme	Cypress-leaved Plait-moss
Kindbergia praelonga	Common Feather-moss
Lophocolea bidentata	Biphid Crestwort
Metzgeria furcata	Forked veilwort
Mnium hornum	Swan's Neck Thyme-moss
Orthotrichum affine	Wood Bristle-moss
Orthotrichum anomalum	Anomalous Bristle-moss
Orthotrichum pulchellum	Elegant Bristle-moss
Pellia epiphylla	Overleaf/Common Pellia
Plagiomnium undulatum	Hart's-tongue Thyme-moss
Polytrichum commune	Common Haircap Moss
Psuedopscleropodeum purum	Neat feather-moss
Ptilidium pulcherrinum	Tree Fringewort
Riccia cavernosa	Cavernous Crystalwort
Racomitrium lanuginosum	Woolly Fringe-moss
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus	Springy Turf-moss
Rhizomnium punctatum	Dotted Thyme-moss
Sanionia uncinata	Sickle-leaved Hook-moss
Schistidium apocarpum
Tortula muralis	Wall Screw-moss
Thuidium tamariscinum	Common Tamarisk-moss
Tortella tortuosa	Frizzled Crisp-moss
Trichostomum brachydontium	Variable Crisp-moss

Amblystegium riparium AKA Leptodyctum riparium
Drepanocladus fluitans AKA Warnstorfia fluitans

Pics - Bryophytes

Link to list of Cullaloe's Bryophytes

Immensely helpful Bryological society field guide pages:
BBS field guide

LIVERWORTS

Calypogeia arguta, Notched Pouchwort

BBS Field Guide page

26/01/2014

Conocephalum conicum, Great Scented Liverwort

BBS Field Guide page

03/12/2013

Diplophyllum albicans, White Earwort

BBS Field Guide page

17/01/2014

Frullania tamarisci, Tamarisk Scalewort

BBS field guide page

Lophocolea bidentata, Biphid Crestwort

L. bidentata is delicate and translucent, pale green, with conspicuously bilobed leaves (about 2 mm long). Shoots are 2–4 mm wide, and may grow several centimetres long. Its leaf lobes are long and drawn out into a narrow point. The underleaves are also bilobed, with an additional lateral tooth on each side. It is strongly aromatic, and often fertile, with toothed perianths (BBS Field Guide).

18/11/2013

19/11/2013

underside

underside close-up

overlapping leaves

Metzgeria fruticulosa, Bluish Veilwort

BBS Field Guide page

26/01/2014

Metzgeria furcata, Forked Veilwort

19/11/2013

Pellia epiphylla, Overleaf Pellia

BBS FG Page

11/12/2013

Male parts

Radula complanata

Scapania undulata, Water Earwort

26-01-2014

MOSSES

Atrichum undulatum, Catherine's Moss

BBS Field Guide Page

11/12/2013

Aulacomnium anrdrogynum

Aulacomnium palustre, Bog Bead-moss

BBS Field Guide page

Brachythecium rutabulum, Rough-stalked Feather-moss

13/11/2013

Bryum capillare, Capillary Thread-moss

BBS Field Guide page

Bryum Dichotomum, Bicolored Bryum

BBS Field Guide page

21/01/2014

Calliergon cordifolium, Heart-leaved Spear-moss

BBS Field Guide page

Calliergonella cuspidata, Pointed Spear-moss

One of our commonest and most recognizable mosses. It is medium-sized and grows mixed with other bryophytes, or it forms green, yellow-green or occasionally orange-brown patches. Shoots are commonly 3–8 cm long, but sometimes more. The main stem is usually erect and has side branches that are more or less pinnately arranged, the whole shoot having a flattened appearance. The most distinctive field character is the shape of the shoot and branch tips: the leaves are closely rolled-up to form a smooth needle-like or spear-like point.

27/11/2013

Campylopus introflexus, Heath Star-moss

18/01/2014

and when dried

Cirriphyllum piliferum, Hair Pointed Feather-moss

BBS Field Guide page

10/01/2014

 Climacium dendroides, Tree-moss

BBS FG page

29/30/2013, cpt-7a

Dicranum scoparium, Broom Fork-moss

BBS FG page

http://www.dr-ralf-wagner.de/Moose/Dicranum_scoparium-englisch.html

29/11/2013 - Mossy Barrens, Cpt-7a

Didymodon insulanus, Cylindric Beard-moss

BBS Field Guide page

18/02/2014

The drying process...

And a different example from the same batch:

Dicronella heteromalla, Silky Forklet-moss

Fissidens taxifolia, Great Pocket-moss

BBS Field Guide page

17/01/2014

Grimmia Pulvinata, Grey Cushion Moss

G. pulvinata is a predominantly lowland species of usually base-rich rocks, including walls; rarely it grows on trees and shrubs. G. pulvinata tolerates moderate pollution, so is a characteristic urban and suburban species, growing on wall tops, mortar, tombstones, asbestos roofs and concrete, and is a typical member of the wall community alongside Tortula muralis, Schistidium crassipilum and Orthotrichum anomalum. The neat cushions on wall tops have earned it the alternative common name of ‘Hedgehog Moss (BBS Field Guide).

18/11/2013

Hygroamblystegium tenax, Fountain Feather-moss

BBS Field Guide page

06/02/2014

Hylocolium splendens, Glittering Wood-moss

BBS Field Guide page

27/11/2013

Hypnum andoi

26/02/2014

Hypnum Cupressiforme, Cypress-leaved Plait-moss

BBS Field Guide page

08/12/2013

Kindbergia praelonga, Common Feather-moss

BBS Field Guide page

Leptodictyum riparium, Kneiff's Feather-moss

BBS Field Guide page

Mnium hornum, Swan's Neck Thyme-moss
This dark, dull green moss is the commonest species of the genus and one of Britain’s commonest mosses. The upright stems are 2–4 cm tall. Leaves are typically about 4 mm long, but can be as long as 8 mm towards the tip of the shoot, and have a toothed border of long, narrow cells. The nerve usually ends a little below the tip of the leaf. The leaf base at most shortly runs down onto the stem. The lower part of the stem has small, narrowly triangular leaves (the two leaves on the right in the upper drawing). Capsules (5 mm long) are frequently produced, and the lid narrows abruptly into a very short point. The seta is 2.5–5 cm long (BBS FG).

15/11/2013, oak trunk and field layer

Orthotrichum anomolum, Anomalous Bristle-moss

01/01/2014

Orthotrichum affine, Wood Bristle-moss

BBS field guide page

Orthotrichum pulchellum

04/01/2014

Orthotrichum stramineum

26/01/0214

Plagiomnium undulatum, Hart's-tongue Thyme-moss

BBS Field Guide page

30/11/2013

Platyhypnidium riparioides

Polytrichum commune, Common Haircap Moss
Well-grown, large, hummocks or turfs of this species are unmistakable. They consist of tough, wiry shoots up to 40 cm long (usually about 20 cm). When moist, the 8–12 mm long, narrowly spearhead-shaped leaves spread or strongly curve away from the stem, with a glossy sheathing base, giving a starry appearance viewed from above (BBS Field Guide).

26/10/2013, cpt-6

Polytrichum juniperum

11/03/2014

Pseudoscleropodium purum, Neat feather-moss
This is one of the easiest mosses to recognize in the field. It is a robust, green or yellow-green plant with more or less regularly pinnate shoots to 10 cm or more long, and relatively short branches (the shoots are therefore feather-like). The leaves are erect, loosely appressed and overlapping, only a little longer than wide, and deeply concave. This gives the typically 2 mm wide shoots a stout, fat appearance. The leaves are about 2 mm long, broadly rounded or broadly pointed, and their most distinctive feature is the presence of a small, recurved point at the tip. At the tip of the stem and new branches, the crowded points of the leaves protrude like a miniature crown (older branch tips may become more attenuated). The leaves have a single nerve. Branch leaves are similar to the stem leaves, but a little smaller. Capsules are rare (BBS Field Guide).

26/10/2013, cpt-7a

Racomitrium lanuginosum, Woolly Fringe-moss

BBS Field Guide page

04/01/2014

Rhycnhostegium murale

26/01/2014

Rhyzomium punctatum, Dotted Thyme-moss

BBS Field Guide page

11/12/2013 (see also Pellia epiphylla pic)

Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Little Shaggy Moss

01/02/2014

Rhytidiadelphus triquetris, Big Shaggy Moss

01/02/2014

Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Springy Turf-moss
The shoots of this extremely common moss are a few to 10–15 cm long, and distinctive in the way the tapered part of the 2–2.5 mm long leaves bend back at a right angle to the base so that they spread out and away from the stem in all directions, giving shoots a star-like appearance. The broad leaf base completely sheathes the red stem so that it is only visible through the leaves. The leaf has lightly toothed margins and a short, double nerve. Capsules are generally uncommon, but frequent in some areas of south Wales, and may be overlooked elsewhere (BBS FG)

09/11/2013

Sanionia uncinata, Sickle-leaved Hook-moss

Schistidium crassipilum

Thuidium tamariscinum, Common Tamarisk-moss

BBS FG page

01/01/2014

Tortula muralis, Wall Screw-moss

BBS field guide page

Ulota drummondii