{"id":4253,"date":"2019-03-26T13:16:54","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T13:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/?p=4253"},"modified":"2019-03-26T13:16:56","modified_gmt":"2019-03-26T13:16:56","slug":"mosses-at-wallingford-2-march-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/mosses-at-wallingford-2-march-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Mosses at Wallingford – 2 March 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A stretch of riverbank and a quiet cemetery in\nWallingford provided the venue for the Annual Moss Walk on 2 March, led by Sean\nO\u2019Leary, ably helped by Sue White. \nHeading north along the river from the Boathouse pub, members examined\nriverside willow trees for \u2018epiphytic bryophytes\u2019, mosses and liverworts whose\npreferred habitat is tree bark.  Typical\nspecies such as Syntrichia latifolia<\/em>,\nOrthotrichum affine<\/em>, Leskea polycarpa<\/em> (richly fruiting as\nusual), Cryphaea heteromalla<\/em> and Orthotrichum diaphanum<\/em>, with white\nhair-points on its leaves, were soon found. \nOther species of more catholic taste were also seen on stone, tree and\nsoil, such as Brachythecium rutabulum<\/em>,\nKindbergia praelonga<\/em> and Tortula muralis<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A short detour brought us to a walled cemetery,\nalways an exciting venue for the moss-enthusiast, providing a variety of\nhabitats including lawns, paths, old walls and undisturbed gravestones of\nnon-local material such as limestone. Several Didymodon<\/em> species were added to the list including D. vinealis, D. insulanus <\/em>and D. sinuosus<\/em>, as well as Grimmia pulvinata<\/em> with its swan-necked\ncapsules. Bryum capillare<\/em> on the\ncemetery wall had distinctive bright green dangling capsules, while the slate\nroof of a low building had tiny silvery cushions of B. argenteum<\/em>. A patch of Small Nettle was identified by the\nbotanists. Returning to the river, a rotting log provided the substrate for an\nunusual find by Sue \u2013 initially thought to be the scarce Brachythecium salebrosum<\/em>, microscopic examination revealed the moss\nto be the commoner Brachythecium\nmildeanum<\/em>, growing in a very unusual habitat.  It is normally confined to paths and scrappy\nsoil, often referred to by moss-enthusiasts as \u2018car-park moss\u2019. The weather\nbegan to look a little threatening at this point so members decided to head\nback home along the river, where, to round the day off nicely, they were\nrewarded with a good view of a Kingfisher, a common sight in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n