Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - September 2007 - No 73
Kath Pryce

Richard and I visited a site in west Carmarthenshire last spring where one of the filmy ferns had been reported growing around a disused mine adit.  It took most of the day, although we only walked about 2km from the car(!), Richard taking thorough botanical notes of all the plants seen and both of us taking photos along the way. We finally reached the adit about mid-afternoon, having not encountered any other people and we were rewarded with several patches of  Tunbridge Filmy Fern.  My gut reaction was “Aren’t we lucky?”  It looked rather fragile but on touching it we found it quite robust. We managed some tolerable close-up photos and found some with fruiting bodies.  Richard tells me that there are about a dozen records of Tunbridge Filmy Fern in the county so it is not the rarest species I’ve seen but I found it special.  I also learnt that it’s scientific name is Hymenophyllum tunbrigense (no ‘d’).  Later in the year we took members of the BSBI to the spot but approached from the other direction only to find that many of the banks of the approach track had substantial populations of Hay-scented Buckler-fern (Dryopteris aemula).  Yet another area where these species grow in proximity to one another.

Another occasion when I said “Aren’t we lucky?” was when looking through botanical watercolour paintings and drawings dating from the mid 1800’s by Miss Powell preserved in Bristol University and, on the same day, handling botanical specimens in Bristol Museum from the same era. She made most of these records in the Bristol district but about 150 were made in west Carmarthenshire when visiting on holiday.  Another memorable day which Richard and George Hutchinson will write-up in due course.  Thanks to George for arranging the visit.