Saturday 22 March 2025 was not as chilling a day as hardy members recalled from the previous Moss Walk at Greenham Common and thirteen individuals, led by Sean O’Leary, started from St. Leonard’s Church in Wallingford, to look at some typical urban bryophytes. The difference between acrocarpous and pleurocarpous mosses was noted and some examples of each demonstrated. Members then explored the banks of the River Thames, with some riverine species, notably Cinclidotus fontinaloides and Hygroamblystegium fluviatile still hanging on, despite the polluted waters. The latter is rare in the South of England, although found in several places along the Thames. We then followed Bradford’s Brook back into town, along Squire’s Walk, noting beautiful patches of Homalothecium sericeum on old walls. Members were, in line with tradition, rewarded with Louise’s legendary muesli crunch at the end of the walk.
