A perfect reminder that coal spoil sites still surprise us — turning up species new to Britain, even on places we think we know well.
Where will it be found next? 👀🐌
#CoalToNature #GloiNatur #CoalSpoil #CollierySpoil #Biodiversity #Nature #NewSpecies #Wales #SouthWales #CynonValley
(7/7)
1) For those lucky enough to now be on Christmas break and more time on your hands to get out in Nature
#fungi #mycology #mushrooms #Conservation #biodiversity #ecology #natureconnection #citizenscience #biodiversityrecording #corticiumroseum #christmastime #coalspoilhabitat #collieryspoil
Nice surprise to see Brown-banded Carder Bee (Bombus humilis) active at Cwm Tips, Beddau, this afternoon - among the earliest records at this site. Good to also see the localised wolf spider Arctosa perita, which is associated with sandy habitats which #collieryspoil replicates.
Reptiles have started to make an appearance on colliery spoil over the past few weeks, such as these at Ogmore Washeries. This former coal washery is an important site locally for Adder, with Common Lizard and Slow-worm also present.
#collieryspoil #reptiles
🏴 #DyddGŵylDewiHapus #HappyStDavid'sDay 🏴
To celebrate, here is one of our favourite species to occur on #collieryspoil - the Celtic Ghost Millipede (Psichrosoma cf breuili).
Known only from South Wales (globally), it was found new to science in 2015 from Newbridge, Caerphilly, by Christian Owen.
The Glossy Glass Snail (Oxychilus navarricus subsp. helveticus), seen at Ogmore Washeries today. The blue-grey body is quite spectacular! This tends to be the most common glass snail (Oxychilus) on colliery spoil.
#collieryspoil #snails #molluscs #Wales #invertebrates
A selection of images of a small, off-white millipede that is commonly referred to as the Beddau Beast since (in the UK) it is found only at Cwm Tips, near Beddau, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales.
The Beddau Beast (Cranogona dalensi) is a small off-white, winter-active millipede that is known (globally) only from the western Pyrenees and Cwm Tips, near Beddau.
These individuals were seen at Cwm Tips yesterday.
#millipedes #invertebrates #myriapoda #Wales #collieryspoil
Hookeria lucens (Shining Hookeria) is a common but beautiful moss that is found in shaded, moist, humid locations, such as along flushes in woodland and on stream/river sides. This particular patch was spotted in wet woodland at Ogmore Washeries this week.
#collieryspoil #bryophytes
Top left: Glossy Glass Snail (Oxychilus navarricus subsp. helveticus). Top centre: Pill Millipede (Glomeris marginata). Centre left: Crystal Snail (Vitrea crystallina). Centre: Common Tamarisk-moss (Thuidium tamariscinum). Centre right: the eggs of the harvestman Sabacon viscayanum subsp. ramblaianum. Bottom left: Scutellinia cup fungus (eyelash fungus). Bottom left: Winter Semi-slug (Vitrina pellucida).
It was a pleasure to visit Ogmore Washeries yesterday after spending much of January indoors writing reports. Here are a few photos of the #wildlife seen (see ALT text for identifications).
#collieryspoil #invertebrates #fungi #Bridgend #brownfields
This is such a good initiative. #Collieryspoil is still regarded as a blight on the landscape, but can be incredibly biodiverse when not re-landscaped.
We look forward to you joining us on our journey!
#brownfields #Ecology #wildlife #nature #Wales #UK #collieryspoil #mining #coal #invertebrates #insects #biodiversity #conservation
We've just joined @bsky.app, so a bit about us:
We're a #nature #conservation initiative founded in 2015 & based in #SouthWales. We aim to achieve greater appreciation (& more positive use) of our misunderstood #collieryspoil sites in #Wales, and legal protection for the most biodiverse examples.
