Another catch up

Since the last post in September the Brecknock Botany Group has still been active. Here is a round-up of notable days out.

A pool below Cribyn which we surveyed for a colleague doing a full investigation of all wildlife / bugs etc. The reddish vegetation is Cotton-grass. There were many lovely mosses and only a few identifiable vascular plants. We were scouting out routes for next year's BSBI Welsh AGM where it hoped to offer delegates a visit to the newly named Hawkweed, Hieracium attenboroughianum high up on Cribyn.

A neighbouring Vice County Recorder, Barry Stewart, spotted this plant far from its native range in Brynmaur by the roadside earlier in the year so I went to see it flowering later in the year.

St Dabeoc's Heath, Grug Dabeoc or Daboecia cantabrica

Found in gardens here or native in Western Ireland. These plants seemed happy in their roadside habitat.

Steph and I visited Brechfa Pool to assess the Crassula invasion. Mudwort was coping with the onslaught:

Mudwort, Lleidlys or Limosella aquatica

But great areas were swamped. It is a great pity and time will only tell what the outcome will be with or without attempts at control.

Particularly bad here where normally one would expect to see several Water-crowfoots (crowfeet?) and Lesser Marshwort.

New Zealand Pigmyweed, Corchwyn Seland Newydd or Crassula helmsii

Much more pleasant to visit unspoilt Henrhyd Falls and the Nant Llech Valley.

Henrhyd Falls

The ferns were particularly good and a great number of species were present.

Scaly Male-fern, Marchredynen euraid or Dryopteris affinis

And flowering quite late in the lanes nearby:

Common Hemp-nettle, Y benboeth or Galeopsis tetrahit

Autumn was definitely starting though.