The Mosses of Mumbles

Maritime turf at Mumbles Head, habitat for Bristly Pottia

On Sunday, after checking out the Kittiwake ledges we walked from The Knab out to Mumbles Lighthouse sampling some coastal bryophytes along the way. Below are some of the more interesting species noted:

Bristly Pottia (Tortula viridifolia)
on bare soil in maritime turf by the Lighthouse

Dark-green Flapwort (Jungermannia atrovirens)
on wet Limestone cliff at the Knab

Starry Thyme-moss (Mnium stellare)
on wet Limestone cliff at the Knab

I suspect not everyone gets that excited by bryophytes, but ecologically these are a very important group of plants, occupying a diverse range of niches. The following galleries illustrate a good selection of species found locally over the past 12 months or so:

Mosses     Liverworts