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Thursday, December 05, 2019

Last Minute Finds

We thought it was all over (the BSBI Atlas project I mean) but an attempt to find a Charophyte up near Hay Bluff led to two Atlas-significant vascular finds (but no Chara I could see or get onto my grapnel).

It seems Dove's-foot Cranesbill isn't common in the hectad and not yet seen after 2000 so we were pleased to find it on a raised area that looked like it had been quarried in the distant past:

Dove's-foot Crane's-bill, Pig yr aran or Geranium molle

Nearby was this thistle which confused us at first but turned out to be one that hasn't yet been recorded for the hectad at all in the county and only before 2000 over the border in England (Herefordshire) - unless records are in the pipeline there, of course.

Musk Thistle, Ysgallen Siarl or Carduus nutans 

Apparently well behind in development this season but there were many rosettes for next year around. 

And we found plenty of Pillwort - this must be one of the country's strongholds for this decreasing and rare fern. The ephemeral pools in the area were very deep resulting in very long fronds at quite a depth.
Pillwort, Pelenllys gronynnog or Pilularia globulifera 

Here is a close up of the unusual plant:
Temporarily beached in Radnorshire in 2011.

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