Joanne Denyer

Trainer covered in moss hanging from a sycamore tree with view of Dublin mountain valley in the background

Bryophyte Rewilding! Bryological shoe found in the Dublin mountains.

There are still places on this talk 'Dublin Mountains Festival; Protecting Our Night-Time Heritage (ISL)' in Glenasmole, Dublin tomorrow if anyone is free. Looks very interesting: www.eventbrite.ie/e/dublin-mou...

Young Hazel sapling in garden with view to HS2 other side of fence

Regenerating Hazel and oak in unmown lawn

Birch regeneration in unmown lawn

Lots of tree planting and plastic tubes in adjacent HS2 land. But in this garden, a few years of not mowing has led to natural regeneration of native oak, birch and hazel.

Child dressed in white sheet with red and white hat sitting in woodland looking like fly agaric mushroom

Unusual mushroom in Knocksink Wood SAC today - my petrifying spring field assistant making good use of the school holidays

This Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Mullaghmore, Burren) was one of the highlights on the first day of the BBS bryophyte meeting in Co. Clare, Ireland. 'Moss of the day' trying to be an owl...

Fab - I don’t see them very often these days

Some wildlife in Dublin suburbs this week - 5 herons (including fledgling) and cormorant, River Dodder, Bushy Park; common spotted orchids in meadow at Marlay Park; pyramidal orchid on flowery roadside verge in Tallaght. Local biodiversity is important.

Lovely to find very abundant 'Handsome Woollywort' Trichocolea tomentella in a flush at Old Head Wood, Co. Mayo. A new hectad record surprisingly. One of my favourite liverworts.

Thanks Michael! It is a lovely site. Hope you’re having good mossing!

Group of wet bryologists with mountain and lake behind

Green cushion of Grimmia ramondii on rock

Green vision of moss Ulota hutchinsiae on rock with abundant sporophytes

Dark green fine leaves of Campylopus setifolius on wet flushed rock

Very determined and wet bryologists for the Irish Bryophyte group meeting in Killarney yesterday. Despite the soaking we saw lots of lovely species - Ulota hutchinsiae, Grimmia ramondii, G. lisae, Campylopus setifolius, C. shawii, C. gracilis, Schistidium strictum etc.

The NPWS Knocksink Education Centre was a great space for a bryophyte walk and workshop for biodiversity week. Thanks for inviting me.

Vacancies | Working Here | What We Do

Great opportunity for an 18 month bryophyte trainee position at RBGE (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) - working with the excellent bryologists there.

www.rbge.org.uk/about-us/job...

Cusions of pale green moss and olive green liverwort in a mosaic

The moss Mnium hornum (pale green) and liverwort Marsupella emarginata (olive green) making a pretty mosaic on a rock in an upland river today at Lough Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Out now, Brambles of Scotland by Angus Hannah, #BSBICountyRecorder for Clyde Isles.
This is the latest title in our #BSBIHandbooks series, essential resources for #WildFlowerID on tricky plant groups.
Special offer (£7 off!) for #BSBImembers ordering the book.
Find out more:
bsbi.org/bsbi-handboo...

It was lovely wasn’t it - such a good display too

Cowslips with small bright yellow flowers in a grassy meadow. Tress in distance.

Lovely to see the cowslips at Tymon Park, Dublin, spreading into less species-rich areas of grassland. Often meet locals who appreciate the flowers here - today a several were admiring cuckoo flowers 😀

Group of people looking at moss in an oak woodland

Trichocolea tomentella - liverwort with finely divided leaves that look furry

Group of bryologists in oak woodland on lough shore with view to Connemara mountains

Another lovely Irish Bryophyte Group meeting - Oak woodland, Glendollagh, Connemara, Apr 25. Lots of oceanic woodland species, but with calcareous rock species too. Nice to see Sphagnum platyphyllum and of course lots of Trichcocolea tomentella. Thanks to @cianoceallaigh.bsky.social for organising.

Group of bryologists in shady gorge looking at the ground for liverworts

Brown cushion of moss Braunia imberbis on a boulder

View over heathland valley in Co. Louth

Small green cushion of Glyphomitirum davesii with little round pale immature capsules on a boulder

We had a great (wet) day with the BBS Irish Bryophyte Group on Saturday. The morning in Ravensdale Forest where Jubula hutchinsiae is abundant in the gorge and afternoon at Long Woman's Grave, with Braunia imberbis on nearly every gabro boulder and occasional cushions of Glyphomitrium daviesii.

Looking forward to getting a copy of this when it's published.

Amazing - well done Jo. Looking forward to reading it!

The Irish Bryophyte Group were joined by Chris Preston on Sunday 9th March to record on the shores of Lough Ree nr Lanseborough, Co. Longford. >10 new vice county records made we hope. Highlight was Cian's find of Rhodobryum roseum (which is rare in the midlands) in an old quarry and the sunshine!

The Irish Bryophyte Group were delighted to be joined by Chris Preston last weekend. On Saturday (8th March) we recorded at Birr Castle, Co. Offaly. Great to see the The Leviathan of Parsonstown (telescope) and lovely old oaks. Several new vice county records made (hopefully!) and great company.

Polytrichum commune (Bog haircap) ‘mossicle’ in the Dublin mountains today.

Thanks - it’s slow but quite relaxing at the moment. Next the heel….!

Starting my first ever socks. Very admiring of your two at a time and lovely yarn!

Sandstone wall with moss colonising the bricks but gaps where the mortar is, creating a green and red-brown pattern

Sandstone wall with moss colonising the bricks but gaps where the mortar is, creating a green and red-brown pattern

May your 2025 be filled with bryophytes rewilding urban surfaces! Lovely mossy sandstone wall in Kenilworth, England.

Group of bryologists looking at mossy boulders

Bryologists looking at moss on a wall in the upland

Upland river in the Wicklow mountains

A great group travelled from all over Ireland to join the Irish Bryophyte Group meeting in the Wicklow Mountains on Saturday. Lots of nice upland bryos found and definitely a site to re-visit.

A very bristly black fly with bright yellow wing bases. This is the tachinid fly Zophomyia temula

A sturdy looking black fly with bright yellow halteres and a piercing mouth part just visible. This is the Golden-haired Robberfly, Choerades marginatus

An absolute unit of a Beefly, Satyramoeba hetrusca, which is all black with yellow tinted wings held in a delta-winged shape. The size of a carpenter bee.

A black fly with clear wings held over its body, a slightly hairy thorax and shining abdomen, This is a species of soldierfly called the Black Colonel, or Odontomyia tigrina.

#BlackFlyDay you say? Well it'd be rude not to then. Zophomyia temula (a tachinid fly), Choerades marginatus (the Golden-haired Robberfly), Satyramoeba hetrusca (an enormous species of Beefly) and Odontomyia tigrina (the excellent named Black Colonel) for your delectation.

My favourite yew wood - wonderful place 💚