Discovering the flora and fauna in a small square of Portmellon Valley
In our pond, we built a tiny island and surrounded it with planks of wood to stop it eroding away. This moss was clinging to the planks. It was on the north side of the island, which is interesting because I read once that moss grows on the north side of tree trunks. This is a thread-moss. The capillary thread-moss fruits with drooping green capsules on the end of red stems, called setae. The foliage is green feathery fronds.
This is the lichen that you find on concrete and pavements as well as rocks. It is widespread and common. It forms a pale greeny-white disc with buff-coloured fruits, which look like tiny bobbles. This was on a step leading down to the watermeadow.
The sun was shining on Mothering Sunday, and I was down in the watermeadow heaping dead foliage on Hard Knot Pass to make it less muddy to walk on and I was spotting and snapping in Vole County, which I will post about during the week. As I was going back up the steps under the sea buckthorns, I noticed this twig, which had fallen off the oldest tree. It is covered with lichens. Lichens are a curious mixture of algae and fungi living together – the algae provide the food source, and the fungi provides shelter. It’s a deal that works for both parties and is known as symbiosis.
I identified Oakmoss, which is neither limited to oaks, nor a moss. It is also known as Stag Lichen because of its antler shape and is found on twigs and small branches of both deciduous and coniferous trees all year round. It is a grey-green colour with paler powdery-looking shade on the underside. There were other textures of lichen on the twig as well – see picture below right.
I noticed this patch of liverwort on the stone steps leading down into the left-hand side of the watermeadow.
What is a Liverwort? It is a spore-producing plant without the usual plant structures, but a collection of liver-shaped lobes. Most Liverworts can reproduce by growing gemmae, which are buds of tissue that are dispersed from the parent plant by rainfall and grow into new plants. The crescent-cup liverwort has crescent-shaped sconces which contain tiny green gemmae. You can see some in the top right of the top picture. Liverworts love damp and shady habitats. They grow on stones, boulders, banks, and soil.
It’s still difficult to get down into the watermeadow, as it remains flooded. I’ve seen a few things on the ramp and steps on the right-hand side, but rather neglected the stone steps down on the left under the sea buckthorn. I spotted the small earthworm. I hadn’t seen a worm down there so far and I was quite pleased. There are nearly 30 species of earthworm in the UK, divided into three behavioural types:
This one, being small and reddish, was possibly a compost, or tiger worm, which lives above soil level. Then I noticed that it was worming its way across some moss, and I realised that that there was a whole section of plant-life that I had overlooked!
Springy turf moss (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus) – is a soft, bright green mat, with short red stems. It is commonly found on lawns and damp woodland and is also known as ‘electrified cat’s tail’ moss from the stems which shoot out in all directions.
Further down the steps was a patch of velvety, mossy fronds. I think it is a type of Feather Moss. I’m not completely sure what type it is but it is likely to be Rough-stalked feather moss (Brachythecium rutabulum), which is also known as ‘ordinary moss’, as it is another of our most common moss species. It has pointed leaves and branching stems and can be found in woodlands, hedgerows, and lawns.
