Moss was one of the first plants on the Earth, having evolved from adapted algae, along with liverworts and lichen. So, it's official, moss is cool ! If you've never stopped to take a closer look at mosses (Bryophyta), at first glance they might not seem that interesting. Take another look. They're really fascinating and beautiful. And they're good environmental indicators; mosses don't like polluted environments.
Moss don’t have roots like other plants, and not having roots ( although they do have root like strucutures called rhizoids, but these don't t absorb water or nutrients, but they are photosynthetic ...) allows moss to grow in places where other plants can’t, such as rocks. Tortella bambergeri is a moss that's only be known in this country since 2006 and it can be found here at Dove Stone in Binn Green car park!
Tortella bambergeri
Back in 2003 in Perthshire a moss was found that was thought, based on experience of a species in the Czech Republic, to be Tortella bambergeri, . Fastforward to 2006 and it was confirmed as indeed being Tortella bambergeri. Over the next year further colonies of the same Tortella were found. This built up a picture of a distinct species found in upland areas and widespread in the northern and western parts of the British Isles. In the High Peak, the few occurrences are on isolated base-rich sandstone boulders, including Binn Green car park. Given the small number of records our knowledge of the ecology of this species is incomplete, but it appears to behave in a distinctive way: most colonies inhabit blocks of calcareous rock, often below crags but sometimes in open moorland.It's thought that thorough recording in Britain and Ireland would probably lead to Tortella bambergeri being considered ‘nationally scarce’ or ‘locally common’.
Other mosses of interest at Dove Stone are Ceratodon purpureus which colonises burnt and bare ground. You can see this quite a lot at Dove Stone - it looks really strikingly ruddy, even at a distance.
Ceratodon purpureus
Another good one is Polytrichum piliferum, which is also quite common at Dove Stone. You can find it even on the edges of Dove Stone reservoir on the far, lowland, shore. This image shows the male 'inflorescence', which is stunning when you see a lot together.
Polytrichum piliferum
More soon. Thanks to Ken suggesting this blog and providing photos, info and enthusiasm for small. mossy plants ! More soon with an update on recent bird sightings, including the latest on the Peregrines....