Around Glandwr

Gawrllwyn Wood near Pentre-Galar in the north-east of Pembs yielded the first, and slightly overdue, record of Bryoerythrophyllum campylocarpum for the county. I'd looked for it without success on a few forestry tracks since Tom discovered it in Ceredigion. It was frequent along at least the first few hundred metres of the access track, accompanied by a good variety of interesting species - Cephaloziella integerrima, Scapania scandica, Bryoerythropyllum ferruginascens and Lophozia excisa - as well as the more typical calcifugous bryoflora of the area. 

Bryoerythrophyllum campylocarpum

A quick sortie into the nearby dolerite quarry at Iet-wen revealed more Cephaloziella integerrima, which is proving to be surprisingly well-distributed in the county. Here, it was growing with Aloina aloides and Weissia controversa on thin soil over rock at the base of a worked face. 

Cephaloziella integerrima location, Iet-wen Quarry

Over the border into Carmarthenshire, I waded the Nant Elwyn through old woodland with lots of fallen ash. One streamside ash trunk held a small patch of Bryum moravicum, scarce in the county, and here in the same habitat as its one Pembrokeshire occurrence.

Bryum moravicum location, Nant Elwyn

A north-facing outcrop in the wood had a few small patches of Philonotis capillaris as well as cushions of Amphidium mougeotii. The Philonotis was also on the floor of a tunnel by a waterfall associated with an old mill leat.

Philonotis capillaris location