Some common mosses and liverworts

 In winter, mosses and liverworts often provide some of the most vibrant new green new plant growth: this is their season. These are a few species that I've encountered in recent weeks.

MOSSES

Cypress-leaved plait-moss Hypnum cupressiforme

One of the commonest and easiest-identified mosses, with leaves all curved in one direction. This one was growing on the top of a fence post in Teesdale.

Hart's-tongue thyme-moss Plagiomnium undulatum.

Unusually large leaves for a moss, with an undulating surface. Growing on the woodland floor beside the river Tees at Egglestone

Silky wall feather-moss Homalothecium sericeum

Often found growing on shady wall tops, but this specimen was on a rotting fallen tree in woodland at Egglestone in Teesdale.

LEAFY LIVERWORTS

Bifid crestwort Lophocolea bidentata

On a damp, shady retaining wall at Hexham in Northumberland

Greater featherwort Plagiochila asplenioides

On the woodkand floor at Egglestone in Teesdale.

THALLOID LIVERWORTS

Forked veilwort Metzgeria furcata

Growing on the fork of a sycamore trunk, where rain trickles down from the branches, at Egglestone in Teesdale. The bifurcating thallus has a central rib.

Crescent-cup liverwort Lunularia cruciata

Growing on concrete beside a drain on the path around our house. Moon-shaped cupules on the thallus are filled with buds (gemmae), each of which will grow into a new liverwort when washed out by rain.

Great scented liverwort aka snakewort Conocephalum conicum. The polygonal pattern on the thallus surface and raised air pores are very distinctive. On a damp, shady retaining wall at Hexham in Northumberland

Endive Pellia Pellia endiviifolia

In winter the tips of the thallus extend into branching lobes. On a damp, shady retaining wall at Hexham in Northumberland

Common liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Cupules on the surface full of gemmae, like tiddy-winks, that are splashed out by raindrops. Growing around a drain on the edge of the footpath from the Bailey to Prebends bridge in Durham city.

Nacreous clouds delivered by storm Pia

 This was the sky at sunrise today, when we were treated to a magical display of opalescent nacreous clouds, with rainbow colours caused by light refracted through minute ice crystals. Then, at sunset .....

..... a repeat performance. A memorable day of cloudwatching.

Long-tailed tits

 Sometimes the best wildlife watching opportunities come from just standing still and waiting. Every day, someone leaves a handful of bird seed on a rock beside one of my favourite walks in the Deerness valley, then walks on. After they'd gone I stood and watched for a while and this flock of long-tailed tits arrived, totally oblivious to my presence.

Marsh tit or willow tit?

I've consulted several knowledgeable birders on Instagram and Threads, plus all the bird guides that I have, and I'm still not 100 per cent certain of the identity of this bird, although the balance of opinion strongly favours willow tit. The conclusive evidence would be its call, but twice when I've been back to record it with the Merlin app the bird has been there but silent. I'll have to wait for a month or two, until birds become vocal again.

It comes every day to bird food left by someone on a large boulder beside the Deerness Valley Walk, a former railway line that runs through the Deerness valley in County Durham.

There's more about the status of willow tits in the county at this Durham Bird Club website. 

 

Shaggy scalycaps

 We found these magnificent shaggy scalycaps Pholiota squarrosa growing around the base of a mature ash tree in Auckland park, Bishop Auckland. They've appeared in the same place for several autumns now and I wonder how long it will be before they weaken the roots so much that the tree will come crashing down in  gale.

 I've also seen shaggy scalycaps growing on old beech trees in the park - these were growing inside the hollow trunk of a beech that died long ago.

Hornbeam

 

Hornbeam Carpinus betulus has always been one of my favourite trees. It's native to southern England but widely planted up here in the North East, often for its wonderful chrome yellow autumn foliage. It's known also for its hard timber, hard enough to blunt carpenters' chisels and saws and durable enough for traditional uses like wooden gear wheels for windmills and water mills, and teeth for rakes. Some say that the name hornbeam comes from the timber being as hard as animal horn.

Hornbeam is particularly beautiful in late autumn after most of the leaves have fallen, when the clusters of seeds still dangle like little pagodas from the twigs. Eventually the seed clusters break up and individual seeds fall and spin to earth on their winged bracts. The hard seeds, which are tiny nuts, are favourite food of hawfinches, so I always look for them at this time of year, though I've yet to see one of these spectacular rare birds here. I've only ever seen them in southern England.

The tree is also very attractive in spring, when it's covered in catkins and when the beautifully pleated leaves begin to unfold.