Rolling stones may not do it, but Frances Higgs and Rachel Carter certainly can. These two bryologists identified four moss species new to the site list at Pitsford Water Nature Reserve during a survey day in May. And one of those species had not been recorded in Northamptonshire since 1899!

Reserves Officer Mischa Cross organises monthly survey days attended by entomologists, bryologists ornithologists, and other local experts. Photographers often come along to record new discoveries on the site as well as any other photogenic birds, bees and beetles they might find. Each year, the monthly surveys are in one dedicated area of the Reserve, to research the flora and fauna across the span of spring, summer and autumn. In 2023, the survey days are taking place at Christie’s Copse where substantial management work had been done over the previous year. The trees had been thinned out and new ponds created. So, it will be interesting to discover which species colonise the area.

On the very first day, Frances and Rachel did indeed discover four species new to the site. Hypnum jutlandicum, Polytrichyum juniperinum, Thuidium tamariscinum and Pleurozium schreberi. Now, this last is very interesting and we will get to that in a minute.

But before that, an important point to note. Rachel explained that bryophytes would not have turned up as a result of the recent work. They will have taken decades to establish. They are new to the site records as the surveys are being conducted at this location for the first time in many years – but that doesn’t lessen the significance. As Rachel stated, it is hugely encouraging that a bryophyte community has established in what is essentially a “man-made” habitat. It’s a credit to the thought and foresight that went into the planning of this special copse.

So, to the mosses: Thuidium tamariscinum (Common Tamarisk-moss) is mainly a woodland species in Northamptonshire, and is fairly common, so its presence isn’t too surprising. The others, according to Rachel, are all calcifuge and locally scarce to some degree. They are plants of heathland or open woodland – that description fits Christie’s Copse. Hypnum jutlandicum (Heath Plait-moss) turns up regularly in suitable places, but there are only 33 records on her county database.  Polytrichum juniperinum (Juniper Haircap) is rarer still - only 16 records. 

Now for the jewel in this mossy crown. Pleurozium schreberi (Red-stemmed Feather-moss) hasn’t been recorded in Northants since Victorian times! Apparently, it’s common in the hills – a far cry from the conditions at Pitsford Water Nature Reserve – but it, like the mosses mentioned above, likes open woodland. 

Mosses might not be as awe-inspiring as, say, a veteran oak, but these ancient nonvascular plants have their own beauty and they do play a hugely significant role in healthy ecosystems. They help to soak up rainfall, maintain moisture in the soil below and keep conditions around them humid. This enables other plants and the many small animals that live in them to thrive.

They’ve been around for some 500 million years and were the first plants to colonise land. There are more than 20,000 species of bryophyte world-wide, and more than 1,000 species are found in the UK. The UK’s mosses, liverworts and hornworts (the latter two are similar small nonvascular plants) are of global significance as the country supports one of the richest bryophyte floras in Europe, but they are threatened by human activities.

At Pitsford Water Nature Reserve, though, these important plants seem to be faring well.