David Gibbs Entomology and Natural History

Six of us met for this informal moss hunt at the Gloucestershire WT reserve. Peter Martin, regional BBS recorder was the only expert bryologist present and I am very grateful for his help on this trip and with all the dozens of photos and specimens I have sent to him for identification and confirmation.

As always with these trips it was difficult to make much progress because there was so much to identify at each stop. One of the first unusual species was this Platygyrium repens on a marker post.

On a nearby tree hiding amongst the Orthotrichum pulchellum was this Orthotrichum pulchellum.

The photo above also shows the liverworts Metzgeria furcata and what is probably Microlejeunea ulicina (see below). On the same tree were these two lichens, the Cladonia yet to be named.

Parmotrema perlatum (above)

Cadonia sp. (let me know if you can name it)

Further up the path came across the two common woodland species of Isothecium.

Isothecium myosuroides

Growing close to the stream we found the feather moss Cratoneuron filicinum which was more distinct to the touch, being rather rigid, than to look at.

Abundant in the wood was Thamnobryum alopecurum, but it is unusual to see it with capsules, especially so profusely, as in this example below.

On logs and tree trunks over the stream we found several species of liverwort.

Lejeunea cavifolia (above)

Microlejeunea ulicina

Nowellia curvifolia

The fallen tree with the colony of Nowellia also had this very distinctive Lichen yet to be named.

?Stereocaulon

Something I have never noticed before is what appears to be a lichen smothering a moss (Hypnum cupressiforme), not a clue what the lichen might be.

And finally, this lichen on the bark of a tree is Graphis scripta (det Neil Sanderson).

If anyone can confirm or correct any of the identifications above please contact me.