During February we invited Dr Martha Newton to our offices to deliver a 3 day training course to our in-house team of ecologists. Martha is one of the country’s leading field bryologists (moss expert!). The course was very intensive with indoor sessions, covering bryophyte biology and microscope assisted identification, and field excursions. The field trips included: 1. a tour of Slaidburn identifying mosses in base rich grassland, riverside habitats, walls and woodland; 2. visit to an upland site concentrating on the identification of species of sphagnum and bryophytes of acidic habitats (grassland and heathland); and 3. an excursion to Brennand and Whitendale to identify mosses of upland and flush habitats.

The weather was rather inclement during the field excursions with temperatures at or below freezing and prolonged periods of rain during the final trip! However, we were able to collect and identify a wide range of moss and liverwort species from a variety of habitats.

The following images show: 1) the team, with Martha in the foreground, identifying mosses within base rich grassland in Slaidburn; and 2) attempting to identify sphagnum (bog moss) in the field at an upland site in the Forest of Bowland.