Dry and warm

A high pressure weather system has been lurking to the south of Ireland for a few days, bringing some dry and warm weather. This morning was bright and warm, so I dashed off to a likely spot to see what I could find. An inspection of the stream bank revealed hundreds of Lesser Celandines in bud, and a single flower which is - to all intents and purposes - open:

Lesser Celandine

And right beside it, a single specimen of Creeping Buttercup in flower:

Creeping Buttercup

A nearby boggy area revealed Ivy-leaved Water Crowfoot in bud:

Ivy-leaved Water Crowfoot in bud

And Brooklime making strong green growth:

Brooklime

Further along the hedgerow I found a couple of specimens of Tubaria furfuracea, which is a Hawthorn associate:

Tubaria furfuracea

And Gorse in flower:

Gorse

Whilst examining a wall for mosses (more of those later) I spotted a few Snowdrops with open flowers:

Snowdrop

Well done to anybody spotting the small fly on the flower sheath!

Mosses are truly beautiful in all their parts, especially when they have sunlight to brighten them up. Yes, they are very small, but if you 'get down to their size', both physically and metaphorically, you will find beauty that is almost beyond belief.

This shot shows three specimens of Tortula muralis:

Tortula muralis

Here's a close-up of the maturing spore capsules:

Capsules of Tortula muralis

I'm convinced those setae (the 'stalks' of the capsules) are light pipes that transfer light directly down into the dark parts of the mosses.

Grimmia pulvinata has globular capsules that never emerge much beyond the leaf tips:

Grimmia pulvinata, showing hidden capsules

Bryum capillare has 'nodding head' capsules on long setae:

Bryum capillare capsules

Is this really early January, or did I miss a couple of months?

And we're off!

The first signs of spring activity are always near the freshwater stream. Maybe the constantly-flowing water helps the temperature.

A single flower of Lesser Celandine - Ranunculus ficaria - peeked out from the sodden leaves:


The back of the ditches are always covered in mosses and liverworts, but this is the time of year to look for them, since annual vegetation hasn't yet concealed them. This is the liverwort Conocephalum conicum, which I always think has reptilian-like structures:

But wait.....what's that pale-green growth at the top right of the image? Much zooming in reveals another liverwort: Lophocolea bidentata. The shoot you see is about 10mm long and 3mm wide. This is a new species for me and a delightful discovery for my first walk of the year on the hedgerow:


Mosses are also looking good. The first is Tortula muralis (note the white-haired leaves at the base).


And this is an early glimpse of Bryum capillare (leaves are about 1mm x 2mm):

I never cease to be amazed by the beauty of mosses.

Hard Shield Fern fronds are still in good condition:


And finally, Ivy-leaved Water Crowfoot has reappeared in a muddy track:


Not bad for the first outing of the year.

Carpet and Moss

The bright green of this moth larva caught my eye as I walked past. Investigation shows that it's the larva of the Common Marbled Carpet - a handsome moth that I've shown before.

Detail of the head end shows that the front legs are all condensed into one group, and that it has five ocelli or sub-eyes.

These are the ripening capsules of the moss Bryum capillare:

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.

Mosses, lichens and liverworts, oh my!

Original Hedgerow, leg 1, whilst on a film shoot. One of the things I have to do when on these shoots is 'pretend to be taking a photograph'. What better way to pretend than actually taking shots?

This first shot - on a wall - shows a lichen (Cladonia pyxidata, pale green, centre with pink, embryonic fruitbodies), at least three mosses:Bryum capillare (olive-brown rosettes dotted around the image), Homalothecium sericium (silver-tipped shoot, left of centre), and an unidentified specimen with curled leaves (right edge).


This shot shows the liverwort Lunularia cruciata, with its diagnostic moon-shaped gemmae cups, with gemmae (little bundles of cells that develop into new specimens) spilling out.

This could potentially be a very confusing shot. The central 'specimen' is in fact two mosses. The pale grey cushion in the foreground is Grimmia pulvinata, and the capsules and setae at the rear belong to a specimen of Tortula muralis, which is hidden behind the Grimmia.This is a moss: Plagiothecium undulatum. I find it very reminiscent of a minute fern.

This moss forms 'boots' around all the trees and bushes around here: Hypnum cupressiforme.


It was raining, so I got a couple of water-droplet-shots. The large droplet to the left is on the capsule of Bryum capillare, and the smaller droplet to the right is on Tortula muralis.


Here's the Bryum capsule in closeup: