Blue above, and blue below.
Rather a lot of brambles though...
Had a quick check in our seaweed press from Isles of Scilly trip a couple of weeks ago - looking 👌
Sign the petition asking the Government to finally end peat compost sales with legislation in 2026 - no more delays. It’s been a long and tiring road to get peat compost banned and we need your signatures and shares now more than ever to get it done. actnow.peatfreepartnership.org.uk/end-peat-sal...
JOB KLAXAN!
Just in time for Christmas, we are advertising a curatorial role in the Cryptogamic Herbarium, NHM London. Curator of Ferns! Details in link here (closing date 18/01/2026):
jobs.nhm.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
The 'algal gloop' here growing on a nice garden wall of mixed mosses. Will be interesting to keep an eye on this. Microscopy revealed one dominate green alga, rapidly reproducing. These particular algae v difficult to identity!
Another street tree epiphyte that's becoming more common in London - Orthotrichum tenellum forms small neat cushions with notably long capsules and calyptra. The leaf tips also have a distinctive beak at the end. Another bryophyte taking advantage of the cleaner air!
What a delight to visit fragments of temperate rainforest on Dartmoor. These fragile and fragmented habitats were once much more extensive. Dripping with both rain and bryophytes.
I was so happy to attend the International Association of Bryologists conference in Taiwan last week - Organised by the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute and the Taiwan Bryological Society. Interesting presentations, good chat, and some time to get into the mountains to mingle with moss 💚
I was admiring the luxuriance of South London bryophyte epiphytes yesterday. Street trees carpeted in Syntrichia papillosa; huge cushions of Pulvigera lyelii... some nice species diversity but also saw 'algal gloop' smothering wall top mosses. Nitrogen pollution impacting in different ways.
Stumbled across an absolute riot of Riccia growing between daffodil rows and tractor tracks beside this field on Isles of Scilly. We think the extensive rosettes, with slightly perforated thallus, are Riccia crystallina...
Jo Wilbraham
Jo Wilbraham
Jo Wilbraham
Jo Wilbraham
Jo Wilbraham
Jack Wallington
Jo Wilbraham
Jo Wilbraham
Jo Wilbraham
Jo Wilbraham
No more delays: Let's get peat out of gardens once and for all. The time for uncertainty has ended.
