The globally threatened Weissia multicapsularis is known from only five sites worldwide, four in Cornwall and one in South Wales. At Greeb Point, on the south coast of Cornwall, it has been monitored and habitat managed since 1998, funded by Natural England. The moss occupies bare soil patches in up to three hedge banks, but [...]
The first thorough bryophyte survey and assessment of The Long Mynd SSSI, a 12 km long fault block within the Shropshire hills, has just been completed for Natural England. The results show that the site is of exceptional importance for this group of plants, in particular due to the many hundreds of springs and flushes [...]
Orthotrichum pulchellum (above) and O. affine (below) on an ash twig at Alderley Edge, both rare at this site in the recent past but now locally frequent It is unusual to be able to make sound judgements about trends in many bryophyte populations at a site since there is rarely sufficient information. A [...]
A small group of extraordinary bryophytes, known as ‘obligate metallophytes’, are entirely confined to substrates that are rich in heavy metals such as copper, conditions that are toxic to normal plant growth. Earlier in Earth’s history, when the land surface was more skeletal, they were probably much more frequent but today are rare. During a [...]
