First Moth of 2009

My first moth of 2009 is a Dotted Border - Agriopis marginaria - right on season. It's amazing that any flying insect should choose to brave these frozen days and nights, but I suppose there are fewer parasites around.

Guess where it got its common name from.

Liverwort solved

On 5th February I showed Conocephalum conicum growing over the top of another, smaller, liverwort. After some microscopy I have now identifed the small liverwort as Pellia epiphylla. Here's a closer shot:

Sample shown is about 6 cm. across. (Note the female reproductive structure to the extreme right, just above centre:)


Here's one of the photomicrographs that I took as part of the identification process. It shows a darker area to the left which is actually a thickening along the midrib:

Magnification is x 40.

Mosses

Mosses are good at the moment, with many showing spore capsules which can often aid identification. Mosses require close attention to detail, with microscopic analysis generally being required for a first identification. Once you have your eye in, though, many can be identified readily in the field.

First, I have Bryum capillare, which I find mostly on wall tops, although it can also be found on verges:
Next, the capsule of Tortula muralis which is another wall-top moss:

Hookeria lucens is very easily recognised, and always grows on the walls of ditches.

The individual leaf-cells are huge, and can almost be seen with the naked eye. The top shoot here is about 6 mm. across.

Fissidens cristatus has fascinating leaves arranged in an overlapping fan:

Notice the darker portion to one half of each leaf. This is a double layer of cells that form a pocket, presumably for water retention. Individual leaves about 3 mm. long:

Thiudium tamariscinum grows on the trunks of trees:

Plagiomnium undulatum grows on the rear of ditches:

Mosses can be very beautiful and will repay your attention and research. As a man once said to me: "You have to get down to their level". How true.

Snowdrops

The Snowdrops are certainly later this year.

Through the ice

I took a little walk along the northern end of leg 1 today. It was about 1° in the sun and zero in the shade. This part of the walk is under Ash trees and has an excellent wet area in a rutted entrance to a field.

Given the long spell of cold weather I was quite surprised to find so many plants showing new growth.

First, Brooklime - one of the Speedwells:

Note the fallen piece of the lichen Ramalina fastigiata floating on the Ash seed.

Next, a few specimens of Ivy-leaved Water Crowfoot were actually encased in ice:

Watercress was also making an appearance:

The back of the stream was covered in plants of all kinds. This shot has Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage (centre), Lesser Celandine (top), Cow Parsley (left), and Hard Fern (left).

The back of the stream is also home to a wide range of liverworts. The central specimen is the thallose liverwort Conocephalum conicum on a background of a much smaller liverwort that I haven't had time to identify yet. Conocephalum group about 15 cm. across.

And here's a close-up of the thallus: