Worcestershire Locations with Interesting Mosses and Liverworts
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Article Bryology in Worcestershire, Part 2 ryophytes have been unevenly include the stream valleys, such as Gladder Brook recorded across the county. In as it runs through Ribbesford and Areley Woods Worcestershire particular, the northern and north- where the 2004 BBS meeting recorded 23 species east tip extending into Birmingham, of liverwort, including the first county record for the eastern fringe, especially around Porella cordaeana, and more than 60 species of locations with BRedditch and Evesham, the Tenbury and Kyre moss, Park Brook (SO7576) with 30 species of region and the very southernmost tip around liverwort and 60 species of moss, Hitterhill Valley Longdon, stretching towards Tewkesbury, have (SO7675) where 25 liverworts were recorded, interesting been neglected. Most tetrads have fewer than and where Fissidens osmundoides was recorded 19 records, although a few places have been by Mark Lawley in 2004, Bryum bornholmense more intensively studied. In addition, the major was first noted in 2004 andDidymodon spadiceus mosses and towns of Kidderminster, Stourport, Bromsgrove, was found again by Mark Lawley in 2005, parts Redditch and Worcester are areas where little has of Dowles Brook (SO7476), including the steep been recorded. Richard Fisk recorded the area banks in Knowles Coppice (SO7676), and to a liverworts around Droitwich well while he lived there for lesser extent Baveney Brook (SO7176, outside over a decade. v.-c. 37 but part of the Wyre Forest). Often the Records in the county Biological Record valley sides are steeply sloping and the small Centre indicate that several localities are known streams and their tributaries, with their varied to be bryodiverse – the Wissetts Wood area geology, provide a great variety of microhabitats. In the second of her two articles (SO6772) has over 126 species, the Highwood The Great Bog (SO746762) does not hold large and Death’s Dingle region (SO6667) has more numbers of species, but there are four recorded about bryophytes in Worcestershire, than 108 species, Hunthouse Wood (SO7070) species of Sphagnum, a genus which is rather Tessa Carrick explores many of the has over 126 species, and the Wyre Forest region sparsely represented in Worcestershire. It is tetrads contain over 144 species. In addition, also the site of the first records of Leucobryum interesting (and occasionally not so Sapey Brook and Rock Coppice, Ravenshill juniperoideum and Entosthodon obtusus, found interesting) sites in the county. Wood, the Knapp and Papermill Reserve, the by Richard Fisk in 2004, and the liverworts Malverns, Larford and Shrawley Wood, around Riccardia palmata and Trichocolea tomentella. L. The original version of this article was published in Holt Fleet, Potters Park at Chaddesley Corbett, juniperoideum also occurs alongside L. glaucum the Worcestershire Record 28, pp. 26–29. Chaddesley Wood, the Clent Hills, Bredon Hill, on the steep slopes of the Hitterhill valley. The Tunnel Hill and Cleeve Prior are all relatively banks of the old railway line (SO7576) have a rich areas. However, there are other interesting good bryoflora with several species of Sphagnum sites which are distinctive but which do not have as well as unvouched Thuidium recognitum, and such a range of species. The sites described below Sphagnum species also grow in Park Brook and have all been visited and have proved to be of Hitterhill valleys. Sphagnum denticulatum and interest. Tortella bambergeri have both been found beside Dowles Brook and at Lodge Hill Farm. Also in Wyre Forest the Wyre Forest, but outside v.-c. 37, Hawkbatch Within the Worcestershire section of the Wyre (SO763777) and particularly Seckley Wood Forest (SO77), many of the wooded areas are not have a good range of bryophytes. exciting with regard to bryophytes, but there are some regions which are particularly rich. These b View from the Malverns, Worcestershire. Ian Atherton 14 FieldBryology No103 | Feb11 FieldBryology No103 | Feb11 15 Article Bryology in Worcestershire, Part 2 ryophytes have been unevenly include the stream valleys, such as Gladder Brook recorded across the county. In as it runs through Ribbesford and Areley Woods Worcestershire particular, the northern and north- where the 2004 BBS meeting recorded 23 species east tip extending into Birmingham, of liverwort, including the first county record for the eastern fringe, especially around Porella cordaeana, and more than 60 species of locations with BRedditch and Evesham, the Tenbury and Kyre moss, Park Brook (SO7576) with 30 species of region and the very southernmost tip around liverwort and 60 species of moss, Hitterhill Valley Longdon, stretching towards Tewkesbury, have (SO7675) where 25 liverworts were recorded, interesting been neglected. Most tetrads have fewer than and where Fissidens osmundoides was recorded 19 records, although a few places have been by Mark Lawley in 2004, Bryum bornholmense more intensively studied. In addition, the major was first noted in 2004 andDidymodon spadiceus mosses and towns of Kidderminster, Stourport, Bromsgrove, was found again by Mark Lawley in 2005, parts Redditch and Worcester are areas where little has of Dowles Brook (SO7476), including the steep been recorded. Richard Fisk recorded the area banks in Knowles Coppice (SO7676), and to a liverworts around Droitwich well while he lived there for lesser extent Baveney Brook (SO7176, outside over a decade. v.-c. 37 but part of the Wyre Forest). Often the Records in the county Biological Record valley sides are steeply sloping and the small Centre indicate that several localities are known streams and their tributaries, with their varied to be bryodiverse – the Wissetts Wood area geology, provide a great variety of microhabitats. In the second of her two articles (SO6772) has over 126 species, the Highwood The Great Bog (SO746762) does not hold large and Death’s Dingle region (SO6667) has more numbers of species, but there are four recorded about bryophytes in Worcestershire, than 108 species, Hunthouse Wood (SO7070) species of Sphagnum, a genus which is rather Tessa Carrick explores many of the has over 126 species, and the Wyre Forest region sparsely represented in Worcestershire. It is tetrads contain over 144 species. In addition, also the site of the first records of Leucobryum interesting (and occasionally not so Sapey Brook and Rock Coppice, Ravenshill juniperoideum and Entosthodon obtusus, found interesting) sites in the county. Wood, the Knapp and Papermill Reserve, the by Richard Fisk in 2004, and the liverworts Malverns, Larford and Shrawley Wood, around Riccardia palmata and Trichocolea tomentella. L. The original version of this article was published in Holt Fleet, Potters Park at Chaddesley Corbett, juniperoideum also occurs alongside L. glaucum the Worcestershire Record 28, pp. 26–29. Chaddesley Wood, the Clent Hills, Bredon Hill, on the steep slopes of the Hitterhill valley. The Tunnel Hill and Cleeve Prior are all relatively banks of the old railway line (SO7576) have a rich areas. However, there are other interesting good bryoflora with several species of Sphagnum sites which are distinctive but which do not have as well as unvouched Thuidium recognitum, and such a range of species. The sites described below Sphagnum species also grow in Park Brook and have all been visited and have proved to be of Hitterhill valleys. Sphagnum denticulatum and interest. Tortella bambergeri have both been found beside Dowles Brook and at Lodge Hill Farm. Also in Wyre Forest the Wyre Forest, but outside v.-c. 37, Hawkbatch Within the Worcestershire section of the Wyre (SO763777) and particularly Seckley Wood Forest (SO77), many of the wooded areas are not have a good range of bryophytes. exciting with regard to bryophytes, but there are some regions which are particularly rich. These b View from the Malverns, Worcestershire. Ian Atherton 14 FieldBryology No103 | Feb11 FieldBryology No103 | Feb11 15 Bryology in Worcestershire, Part 2 The Malvern Hills bryophytes, for example Encalypta streptocarpa in and small, rocky excavations beside the road up The Malvern Hills do not have such great species Earnslaw Quarry (SO771445). Broadway Hill, the car park at the top of the richness as parts of the Wyre Forest, and lack There is much to be done exploring the vast hill with rocks and scrubby hawthorns and the the numerous liverworts, but there are some areas of the Malvern Hills and adjacent land. The calcareous grassland around Broadway Tower. specialities. The area includes acidic grassland and damp north-east corner of Castlemorton Com- The flora here is characteristic of calcareous areas scrub, base-rich flushes, igneous rocky outcrops mon (SO7939) has yielded an interesting range but is not particularly rich in species. However, it as well as the adjacent commons and some of species, including Syntrichia laevipila (Richard is worth further exploration. woodland. Schistostega pennata is visible in some Lansdowne and Mark Pool, 2004). Climacium rabbit holes, and Buxbaumia aphylla was first dendroides was recorded by Ann Hill from the River valleys recorded by Joy Ricketts in 2003 beside a path Common (SO7638) in 2002. The accessible parts Along the banks of the Rivers Severn, Teme on the Worcestershire side of the Herefordshire of The Gullet (SO7638) are just in v.-c. 37 and and Avon, such riverine species as Hennediella Beacon (SO7639). Grimmia trichophylla grows are worth examining, although obviously much stanfordensis, Leskea polycarpa, Platyhypnidium on some rocks and G. laevigata