Sunday, 14 March 2021

New Species - Rough-stalked Feather Moss

Not 100% sure about this ID but a Bryophyte Field Guide has been ordered so hopefully I'll be able to confirm when it arrives. Found on a fallen Beech branch it looks similar but not the same as the Silky Wall Feather Moss that is common on the walls here. Just spotted the capsule (?) at the top of the stalk(?) and it looks right for this species.

Wednesday, 10 March 2021

New Species - Wall Screw Moss

I am just starting to get my eye in to notice the different mosses we have here - I am sure there are lots more as well. This one is Wall Screw Moss (Tortula muralis) with its distinctive sporophytes 'like tiny chillies on stalks'.

Saturday, 6 March 2021

New Species - Silky Wall Feather Moss

Starting to get to grips with a few of the moss species - this one is Siolky Wall Feather Moss (Homalothecium sericeum) and is very common on the walls here.

Sunday, 28 February 2021

New Species - Capillary Thread Moss

I just doubled my new Bryophyte species list as I have started looking at the mosses all around. This is another common one, Capillary Thread Moss (Bryum capillare) and is growing nicely on a stone destined for the restored dry stone wall.

Tuesday, 23 February 2021

Frogspawn!

The pond was put in nearly seven years ago but has only once before now had any frogspawn. That was in 2018 and there wasn't much and it all disappeared pretty quickly. Now we have some serious spawn but I'm going to have to make sure it doesn't dry out and hopefully we can have some tadpoles, most of which will presumably become lunch for the odonata larvae.

'New' Species - Springy Turf-moss - Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus

Not really new at all - in fact there's stacks of this moss around - but as this is the first time I've positively looked at, identified and separated this bryophyte from all the others, I'm counting it as a new species for the all-new Bryophyte list. Known for its association with Waxcaps.

Saturday, 30 January 2021

Not fully wild but perhaps could count as a new species?

It was reported there was a Wild Boar and offspring in the village and eventually they turned up at my place. It transpired that they weren't fully Wild Boar - the mother was partly and the offspring had been sired by a Wild Boar so was more so, but they were distinctly tame. They had escaped from their pen two or three miles away and eventually they were caught and taken back to their owner. Here they are when at one point they were in a neighbouring field.