BBS Spring Meeting 2016 Radnorshire

Meeting Report rFig 1 (above). The survey team. N. Hodgetts. sFig 2 (below). Floribundaria floribunda and Orthostichella versicolor hanging from braches in Atewa. N. Hodgetts. spp. There are also communities of epiphyllous and Groutiella laxotorquata, often with small leafy liverworts, with Cololejeunea spp., Colura Lejeuneaceae such as Lejeunea brenanii and spp., Drepanolejeunea spp., Leptolejeunea Ceratolejeunea calabariensis creeping through rLooking across Wye Valley from Gilfach Farm Nature spp., etc. Canopy species include abundant them. Standing and fallen dead wood is also BBS Spring Reserve. R. Hodd. Campylopus savannarum, Macromitrium sulcatum much richer than at lower altitudes. Similar communities also grow in patches of swamp Mark Hill reports forest and by pools at the bottom of valleys and Meeting 2016 in hollows. on this year’s Spring A total of 164 taxa were found, of which about Radnorshire Meeting held in 13 species of liverwort and 45 species of moss are new to Ghana. These include a new species 7-12 April 2016 Radnorshire VC43 of Cololejeunea that will be described in a future paper. This survey therefore contributes further he Spring Meeting 2016 was based in Wye, which enters from the north as little more evidence for the importance of Atewa Forest and Llandrindod Wells, former county town than a brook, then heads south, curving round the necessity for conserving it and managing of Radnorshire (vice-county 43) and and growing into a wide lowland river as it it properly. It is hoped to follow up this brief Tnow an administrative centre in Powys, Wales. leaves the county at Rhydspence near Hay-on- survey with further fieldwork over the next few The BBS last met here in 1965, and it was a Wye. Most of the county lies to the east of the years and by developing the relationship with pleasure to welcome back David Chamberlain, Wye and has a moderately oceanic climate with botanists in Ghana. who had attended on the previous occasion. Our annual rainfall 900-1,000 mm. To the west of For a fuller account see Journal of Bryology 38: headquarters was the Glen Usk hotel in the centre the Wye, the Elan Valley has a markedly oceanic 211-22 (2016). of Llandrindod, but lab work and committee climate, with average rainfall 1,800 mm. Most meetings took place at Llysdinam Field Centre, of the county lies above 300 m. There are no Reference just across the River Wye near Newbridge. Some mountains, and the highest elevation, 660 m, is McCullough, J., L.E. Alonso, P. Naskrecki, H.E. Wright members also slept there. The meeting was well in Radnor Forest just 10 km from the English and Y. Osei-Owusu (eds.). (2007). A Rapid Biological attended, with 43 bryologists and 3 spouses. border. Assessment of the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, Eastern Radnorshire, with 26,000 inhabitants, is the Because of the large size of the party, we split Ghana. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 47. least densely populated vice-county in southern into 3 groups on most days and into 4 groups Conservation International, Arlington, VA. Britain. Its most significant feature is the river on the Saturday and Monday. In addition, the 52 FieldBryology No116 | Nov16 FieldBryology No116 | Nov16 53 Meeting Report - BBS Spring Meeting 2016 Diplophyllum obtusifolium, Oligotrichum meetings back at base, but Mark and Sean hercynicum and Plagiothecium curvifolium. Sam O’Leary pressed on. One gently sloping flush found Colura calyptrifolia* on Salix. It was later sported numerous hummocks of sphagnum found in two other places but is clearly not – just the habitat Mark was looking for, and common in Radnorshire. indeed produced a few shoots of Scapania paludicola. A few metres further on, another Friday 8 April sphagnum hummock contained the diminutive Gordon Rothero led a group to Aberedw Hill, Cephalozia pleniceps. The final flush rewarded and was astonished by the farmer at Tremaen, patient searching by revealing a few shoots of rFig 1. Riccia subbifurca on disturbed ground by the upper Teme. P. Bowyer. who told him that he should ski in his spare time, Barbilophozia kunzeana. not look at plants! The group found 116 species The third group started in Llandrindod itself BRECOG recorders were active on the BBS The second group started in Llanbister, where but rather little of note except Aloina aloides, at Rock Park, home of the bowls club. This fringe on most days. All excursions were in they found Fissidens exilis in the churchyard. Dicranum bonjeanii and Bryoerythrophyllum produced 90 species, including Orthotrichum Radnorshire. Vice-county records are indicated They moved to Tylcau Hill RWT (Radnorshire ferruginascens. rivulare, Schistidium rivulare and Syntrichia thus *. Wildlife Trust) reserve, which featured a stream The second group was led by Tom Blockeel, latifolia by the River Ithon below the town. They and wet alder woodland. Mark Pool found and started in the valley of the Edw near went on to the Bower, an area of rocky pasture Thursday 7 April Fissidens bryoides var. caespitans; Nick Law Llanbadarn-y-garreg. Exposed and lightly wood near Howey. Riccardia latifrons (freely Sharon Pilkington led a group to the gorge found Trichocolea tomentella. They went on to shaded basic rocks in the valley near the car park fruiting on rotten wood), Trichocolea tomentella, of the upper River Teme, in the north of the the source of the river Lugg (wittily termed the produced some vigorous calcicoles, including Loeskeobryum brevirostre and Plagiothecium county. Here there were base-rich mudstones Lugg Hole by one participant). The small gorge Reboulia hemisphaerica, Anomodon viticulosus latebricola were in wet woodland near the stream. and calcareous springs. Tom Ottley collected produced Ditrichum gracile, Philonotis calcarea and Neckera crispa, and on a much smaller scale On a large open rock, a rather upright member Polytrichum commune var. perigoniale* on a shaly and Racomitrium elongatum, but nothing like the Seligeria recurvata. Philonotis arnellii was on soil of the Grimmiaceae deceived us in the field bank by the road. The morning’s foray down to riches of the upper Teme. The Lugg Hole itself on a rock ledge, and Rhynchostegiella teneriffae but proved to be only Racomitrium fasciculare. the river produced about 100 species including proved to be acidic, with submerged Sphagnum and Trichostomum crispulum on the banks of Finally the group went on to look at streams and Leiocolea collaris, L. turbinata, Metzgeria inundatum, disproving the theory that all the stream. The group then went on a long trek low crags south of Gilwern Hill. Pohlia elongata, conjugata, Aloina aloides, Diphyscium foliosum, submerged Subsecunda are S. denticulatum. up Cwmblaenerw, initially through woodland found by Liz Kungu, and Blindia acuta, found Ditrichum gracile, Gymnostomum aeruginosum The third group included Mark Lawley which lacked any significant exposures of rock by Mark H, were not seen elsewhere during the and Orthothecium intricatum. An expanse of and Sam Bosanquet, and went to Maelienydd but added Jungermannia atrovirens, Riccardia meeting. exciting-looking flushes and a small waterfall Common, one of Radnorshire’s old commons, palmata and Plagiothecium curvifolium. Just higher up the valley tempted a small splinter ‘rough grazed’ by sheep and wet in places, before lunch, Mark Lawley called at Penberth Saturday 9 April group (Sharon, Paul Bowyer and John Norton) with plentiful sphagnum. Mark had previously Farm, to say that he had delivered a dead lamb Elan Valley ranger Rob Andrew drove an elite away from the planned afternoon excursion and found Barbilophozia kunzeana and Hamatocaulis to a sheep in distress; she was in a bad way and group comprising Paul Bowyer, Tim Kaye, yielded many more species, including Marchantia vernicosus, which were duly refound. The belonged to a neighbour. En route to the higher Mark Lawley and Gordon Rothero to Claerwen polymorpha subsp. polymorpha, Riccia subbifurca, Barbilophozia was noted in small quantity in ground the group saw Leucodon sciuroides on at the western extremity of Radnorshire, close Anomobryum julaceum s.str., Bryoerythrophyllum three places, but Hamatocaulis grew in tens of several ash trees in pastures above the woodland. to the border with Ceredigion. The aim was to ferruginascens, Hymenostylium recurvirostrum, thousands around a seasonal pool. Cladopodiella There was insufficient time on the high ground explore the Claerwen National Nature Reserve. Orthotrichum rupestre, Philonotis calcarea, fluitans and Scapania paludicola were also seen to explore the promising springs thoroughly but Mark found Atrichum crispum on shingle by the Plagiomnium elatum and Scorpidium revolvens. growing in sphagnum mires, and Sam grabbed Dicranum bonjeanii, Hamatocaulis vernicosus and Afon Claerwen. The rock and soil on the hill Meanwhile, the main party made a village stop some Syntrichia ruralis var. ruraliformis* from both Scorpidium cossonii and S. revolvens were were for the most part unremittingly acidic, but in Felindre producing Bryum pallescens but little the roadside. In the afternoon they went to present, the latter with sporophytes. Most of the Tortella bambergeri turned up on two boulders, else of note. Camlo Hill, where an area of forestry produced group had to depart early because of committee accompanied by Amphidium mougeotii and FieldBryology No116 | Nov16 54 FieldBryology No116 | Nov16 55 Meeting Report - BBS Spring Meeting 2016 Diplophyllum obtusifolium, Oligotrichum meetings back at base, but Mark and Sean hercynicum and Plagiothecium curvifolium. Sam O’Leary pressed on. One gently sloping flush found Colura calyptrifolia* on Salix. It was later sported numerous hummocks of sphagnum found in two other places but is clearly not – just the habitat Mark was looking for, and common in Radnorshire. indeed produced a few shoots of Scapania paludicola. A few metres further on, another Friday 8 April sphagnum hummock contained the diminutive Gordon Rothero led a group to Aberedw Hill, Cephalozia pleniceps. The final flush rewarded and was astonished by the farmer at Tremaen, patient searching by revealing a few shoots of rFig 1.

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