a few patches of the liverworts Calypogeia sp hagni­ and we failed in our quest. cola, C. jissa, Cephalozia connivens, and Lophozia sp. (possibly ventricosa) (no perianths) which lay The mixed birch woodland supports rather few hidden at the bases of 'bad-hair-day' tussocks of epiphytes, but amongst them were Microlejeunea Molinia. We mused over JefFs fe eling that the up­ ulicina and large colonies of Platygyrium repens per end of the main bog seems drier now than he both on willow, Bryumsubel egans on elder, and a remembers it 15 years ago. good patch of Ulo ta phyllantha on oak. We were surprised to find some tufts of Cryphaea hetero­ In addition to the mires, our aim was to seek out malla also on an oak, but surmised that the young mosses and liverworts of the heath, streamlines branches of this small oak were possibly not as and woodland. The heath had us pausing over a acidic as the bark on older oaks. Leucobryumglau­ small patch of Polytrichum strictum (alpestre) , Di­ cum occurred in a modest expanse in one strip of cranum bonjeanii and Pleurozium schreberi. The birch woodland and in smaller cushions in other dominant moss though was Dicranum scoparium, places. Whilst reconnoitring the site I came across which did a good job in cheering up the bleak a small patch of Plagiothecium undulatum and a winter heath with its bright-green silky tufts of few tufts of Climacium dendroides in a small area combed leaves standing out brilliandy against the of seasonally wet pine/birch woodland. matt chocolate-brown of the peat. In summary,a diverse and interesting reserve with The steeply banked streamline was running well hours of fun tobe had on a crisp winter's day when after all the recent rain, and we were in the right your fingers are twitching fo r a bit of mossing. kind of habitat fo r refindingHo okeria lucsens, ap­ parendy seen on the 1991 visit. Indeed we set I am indebted to Keith To mey, the Countryside ourselves the challenge of findingit before lunch Ranger fo r permission to record at Snelsmore but the banks didn't seem wet enough to my mind Common. Societybu siness Future meetings of the society Spring fieldmeeting 2007, Northamptonshire, College, which is located just to the north of 12-lSAprU Northampton. We have reserved 30 en-suite sin­ gle bedrooms. B&B costs £24 per night. Please Joint local secretaries: Rachel Carter, 6 Church e-mail or phone as soon as possible, if you would View, Wo otton, Northampton NN4 7LJ; tel: like to attend the meeting. Evening meals (£5) 01604 761 894; Joan James, 3 Finedon Hall, and packed lunches (£5) are available. Mackworth Drive, Finedon, Wellingborough NN9 5NL; tel: 01933 681 044; joint e-mail ad­ The college website (www.moulton.ac.uk) pro­ dress: BBSspring2007@googlemail .com. vides maps and information about accessibility by road and rail. If you do not have Internet access Theheadquarters fo r the meeting will be Moulton and would like information about the location of, 61 Field Bryology number 91 and transport to the college, or about alternative amptonshire fo r a BBS meeting is that it is an ap­ accommodation, please contact Joan. parently under-recorded county, on the finalday we will spread out to cover little-known areas, At the time of going to press the following pro­ including Ravensthorpe and Hollowell reservoirs, gramme is still provisional. When the details are the Grand Union Canal, and the Brampton Valley confirmed the full programme will be circulated way, a disused railway line between Northampton to everyone who has registered with the local sec­ and Market Harborough which is now a path and retaries. If you have not got a copy and would like cycle route. On Wednesday morning, as people one, please let us know. head homewards, we can look at some church­ yards - another good way of filling the gaps! There will be an introduction to Northampton­ shire and the sites to be visited on the evening Summer fieldmeetin g 2007, firstweek: Mull, of Thursday 12th April; this will take place in a 14-21 July room at Moulton College. Local secretary: Mark Lawley, 12A Castleview The fo cus on Friday will be quarries, including Terrace, Ludlow, SYS 2NG; e-mail: m.lawley@ ironstone workings at Twywell Hills and Dales, virgin.net. and also Whiston and Irchester, where Ptery­ goneurum ovatum has been fo und comparatively The first week of the summer field meeting will recently. be held on the island of Mull (v.-c. 103), offthe west coast of Scotland. TheBBS has not hitherto A favourite Wildlife Tr ust reserve, High Wo od met on Mull, and although several bryologists re­ and Meadow, will be the starting venue the next corded on the island in the mid-20'h century, little day, moving on to other sites in the south-west work has been done since 1970. of the county; these may include Mantles Heath, Everdon Stubbs, Ramsden Corner Plantation and We will odge in or near Salen, on the eastern side Wo odford Halse Local Nature Reserve. of the island, as it lies at the hub of the island's tortuous network of roads, and also offersa range On Sunday we will go north to Ring Haw, where of accommodation and services. the Wildlife Trust has a project to re-create lime­ stone grassland; there is "a picturesque mosaic Please inform the local secretary as soon as conven­ of limestone quarries, grassland, woodland and ient if you wish to attend this meeting, as num­ wetland". Old Sulehay Forest and Bedford Pur­ bers will affect our programme of excursions. lieus NNR - one of the richest bryophyte sites in Northamptonshire - are nearby. Summer fieldmeeting 2007, second week: Lewis, Outer Hebrides, 21-28 July Monday will be spent in the Nene Valley, which runs the length of the county. Much of it has Locxal secretary: Liz Kungu, Royal Botanic Gar­ been exploited fo r gravel extraction, and we will den Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh visit several of the resulting gravel pits, and maybe EH3 5LR; e-mail: [email protected]. uk other riverside sites. The second week of the summer field meeting is Since a significant factor in the choice of North- planned as a recording session to tackle under-re- 62 Societybusiness corded 1 0-km squares on Lewis as a contribution National Museums Liverpool. It will be fo llowed to the update of the Atlas. There are 14 squares by a field meeting in v.-c. 59 (South Lancashire) with less than 50 species recorded, fo ur unrecord­ on Sunday 30 September. ed squares, and another fivewith 50-100 records. The theme of the paper-reading session will be There has not previously been a BBS meeting on 'Bryology and bryologists, past present and future' Lewis/Harris and much of this area seems to have and will be predominantly historical. To cater fo r been very poorly recorded. A few of the squares futurebryologists, an identificationworkshop will are remote and will provide a real challenge but be available on Saturday morning at which begin­ there are a number of squares that can be accessed ners will be particularly welcome. relatively easily, so there will be a range fo r all. We will be based in Stornoway, as this is the main Thelocal secretary would be grateful to receive of­ centre of population and closest to most of the fe rs of papers. under-recorded squares. Summer meeting 2008, Shedand Islands. Please inform the local secretary as soon as con­ venient if you wish to attend this meeting, so we Local secretary: Paul Harvey, SBRC, Shetland can gauge if there is enough support to allow this Amenity Trust, Garthspool, Lerwick, Shetland part of the meeting to take place. ZEI ONY; e-mail: [email protected]; tel: 01595 694688. Annual General Meeting and paper-reading session 2007, Liverpool, 29-30 September A visit to Britain's most northerly island group will take place from 12th-19th July 2008 inclusive. Local secretary: John Edmondson, Wo rld Muse­ As lower plants are relatively under recorded in um Liverpool, William Brown Street, Liverpool, Shetland, the primary purpose of this visit will be L3 8EN; tel: 0151 478 4370; e-mail: john.ed­ to record bryophytes. The field trip will include [email protected]. uk. visits to all of Shetland's main islands and the full range of habitats that this unique island group The2007 AGM will be held in Liverpool on Sat­ hosts. If you wish to register an interest in this urday 29 September, and is to be hosted by the fieldtrip then please contact the local secretary. Election of Officers and Elected Members of Council Dr JD Sleath, the current Vice President, will be­ the Conservation Officer, the Librarian, the Meet­ come President on 1 January 2008 and it is nec­ ings Secretary, the Membership Secretary, the Re­ essary to elect a Vice President who will take up corder fo r Hepatics, and the Recording Secretary, officeon that date and who will become President expire at the end of 2007. The current holders of on 1 January 2010. the posts of Conservation Officer and Member­ ship Secretary have said that they do not wish to be re-elected. All of the present incumbents of the Theterms ofseven Officers, the General Secretary, 63 Field Bryology number 91 other offices are eligible fo r re-election. ther one to serve until 31 December 2008, one more to serve until 31 December 2009 and two to serve until 31 December 2010.