FieldBryology No113 | May15 61 Book Review New DVD of bryophytes in their natural habitat Michael Lüth. 2014. Pictures of bryophyes. Mosses and liverworts in their natural habitat - Europe HD. DVD with 5799 pictures in jpg format. Obtainable from Michael Lüth (mail@milueth. de), price 40 euro (+ 5 euro postage for addresses outside Germany). Payment can be made by Paypal. M any readers of Field Bryology will be familiar with Michael Lüth's splendid pictures of bryophytes, whether on his website (www.milueth.de) or in his Atlas of German mosses (Bildatlas der Moose Deutschlands). In his Bildatlas the emphasis was on illustrating the morphological characters of species. His new DVD has a different concept: it aims to show bryophytes in their natural habitat, both in the context of the wider landscape and in close-up detail. For each species there are multiple images, taken from different distances and perspectives. e images are in jpg format at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, thereby enabling them to be viewed on full screen without loss of definition. e disk contains images of some 900 species, along with a short text file containing brief technical details and a list of the territories visited in acquiring the images (over a period of 5 years). Many of the localities are in central Europe, but others range from the Arctic (Svalbard and Murmansk) to southern Portugal, the Mediterranean region (Mallorca) and the Balkans (Albania). Some of the photos were taken in Britain, partly in Scotland and partly during the BBS meeting in Wharfedale in 2011. As each picture is a separate jpg file there is no index or bookmarking on the disk, so the contents must be viewed using Windows File Explorer or an equivalent. e country of origin of each photo is not superimposed on the image but can be found in the properties of the individual jpg. Users should be aware that species are not always filed under current nomenclature. us Palustriella species are found under Cratoneuron, Syntrichia species under Tortula, and Microbryum curvicollum under Phascum curvicolle (although Microbryum is used for M. fosbergii). A few of the species names are mis-spelled. A full list of the included species can be found on Michael's website but is not present in text form on the disc. Being in jpg format the pictures can readily be copied, and while they remain the copyright of Michael Lüth they are freely available for non- commercial use. Unlike the Bildatlas, the disc includes a large selection of liverworts as well as mosses. e number of pictures per species varies from two to at least 18 (Andreaea nivalis). Although the pictures are not primarily intended as identification aids, they provide excellent images of numerous European species and will be very helpful as a guide to their overall appearance. It is not always possible to observe key diagnostic characters, but I noticed one mis-identified species: "Odontoschisma denudatum 003d" is v Cover picture of the DVD, showing Tetraplodon paradoxus
New DVD of bryophytes in their natural habitatMichael Lüth. 2014. Pictures of bryophyes. Mosses and liverworts in their natural habitat - Europe HD. DVD with 5799 pictures in jpg format. Obtainable from Michael Lüth ([email protected]), price 40 euro (+ 5 euro postage for addresses outside Germany). Payment can be made by Paypal.
Many readers of Field Bryology will be familiar with Michael Lüth's splendid pictures of bryophytes,
whether on his website (www.milueth.de) or in his Atlas of German mosses (Bildatlas der Moose Deutschlands). In his Bildatlas the emphasis was on illustrating the morphological characters of species. His new DVD has a different concept: it aims to show bryophytes in their natural habitat, both in the context of the wider landscape and in close-up detail. For each species there are multiple images, taken from different distances and perspectives. The images are in jpg format at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, thereby enabling them to be viewed on full screen without loss of definition. The disk contains images of some 900 species, along with a short text file containing brief
technical details and a list of the territories visited in acquiring the images (over a period of 5 years). Many of the localities are in central Europe, but others range from the Arctic (Svalbard and Murmansk) to southern Portugal, the Mediterranean region (Mallorca) and the Balkans (Albania). Some of the photos were taken in Britain, partly in Scotland and partly during the BBS meeting in Wharfedale in 2011. As each picture is a separate jpg file there is no index or bookmarking on the disk, so the contents must be viewed using Windows File Explorer or an equivalent. The country of origin of each photo is not superimposed on the image but can be found in the properties of the individual jpg. Users should be aware that species are not always filed under current nomenclature. Thus Palustriella species are found under Cratoneuron, Syntrichia species under Tortula, and Microbryum curvicollum under Phascum curvicolle (although Microbryum is used for M. fosbergii). A few of the species names are mis-spelled. A full list of the included species can be found on Michael's website but is not present in text form on the disc. Being in jpg format the pictures can readily be copied, and while they remain the copyright of Michael Lüth they are freely available for non-commercial use. Unlike the Bildatlas, the disc includes a large selection of liverworts as well as mosses. The number of pictures per species varies from two to at least 18 (Andreaea nivalis). Although the pictures are not primarily intended as identification aids, they provide excellent images of numerous European species and will be very helpful as a guide to their overall appearance. It is not always possible to observe key diagnostic characters, but I noticed one mis-identified species: "Odontoschisma denudatum 003d" is
v Cover picture of the DVD, showing Tetraplodon paradoxus
Meeting Report - BBS Summer Meeting 2014
that this would produce some good flushes. This hope was realised almost immediately with David L. finding a good stand of Moerckia hibernica and other good things followed including Rhizomnium magnifolium, Scapania paludosa, Calypogeia azurea and Philonotis seriata. Part of the interest was the varied nature of the flushes along the spring line with some clearly quite acidic and others close by with calcicoles like Oncophorus virens, Pseudocalliergon trifarium and Tritomaria polita. Two flushes at the northern end of the spring line provided the icing on the cake with large stands of both Splachnum vasculosum and Pseudobryum cinclidioides, inducing an orgy of photography. As seems to
be often the case in Scotland, the population of Splachnum vasculosum here appears to be all male so there were no impressive sporophytes to be admired. Sitting on the rocks on the ridge in the late afternoon sunshine, with views over the loch to Rannoch Moor, the Blackmount and the Glencoe hills beyond and looking down the slope as the last stragglers dragged themselves away from the flushes, was a fitting end to a good week.
sFig. 19: Late afternoon sunshine on the Splachnum vasculosum flushes with Loch an Daimh and the Blackmount in the background. G. Rothero
FieldBryology No113 | May 1560
62 FieldBryology No113 | May 15
surely Mylia anomala. I don't have the expertise to judge the technical quality of the photographs and I view them through the eyes of a bryologist with a love of natural habitats. Many of the images are stunning. I particularly like those showing species in the wider landscape, e.g. the picture of Cinclidotus fontinaloides in Yorkshire, or the spectacular habitat of Orthothecium chryseon on Svalbard. Some of the close-up images are also superb, like the very crisp "Buxbaumia viridis 003h" and the extraordinary "Exormotheca
News and Society Business
FieldBryology No113 | May15 63
Election of Officers and Elected Members of CouncilMr N.G. Hodgetts, the current Vice President, will become President on 1 January 2016 and it is necessary to elect a Vice President who will take up office on that date and will become President on 1st January 2018. The terms of the following Officers expire at the end of 2015: General Secretary, Conservation Officer, Librarian, Meetings Secretary, Membership Secretary, Recorder for Mosses, and Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary and the Conservation Officer are currently shared posts. The present incumbents of these offices are eligible for re-election. There are two vacancies for Elected Members, each to serve for a period of 3 years.
Members are invited to submit nominations for Vice President, Officers and Elected Members of Council, sending them to the General Secretary of the BBS, Dr R.H. Carter, 6 Church View, Wootton, Northampton, NN4 7LJ, ([email protected]) to arrive no later than 5th August 2015. A nomination must not be made without the consent of the person whom it is wished to nominate.
Elections will be held at the AGM at Preston Montford on 5th September 2015.
R.H. Carter, General Secretary, February 2015
rAbove: Exormotheca welwitschii in Portugal, from the DVD.sBelow: Habitat of Orthothecium chryseon in Svalbard, from the DVD.
welwitschii 001d". Thallose liverworts come out well, and there is a mouth-watering sequence of Riccia species. I can heartily recommend this disc to anyone who appreciates bryophytes, or who would like a bit of vicarious enjoyment of bryological travel around Europe, sometimes in remote and spectacular places.
Tom L. Blockeel9 Ashfurlong Close, Dore, Sheffield S17 3NN e [email protected]
FieldBryology No113 | May 1562
Annual General Meeting 2015The Annual General Meeting will be held at 4.00 p.m. on Saturday, 5th September 2015 at Preston Montford Field Centre, Montford Bridge, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 1DX.
The agenda will comprise the standard business: namely, Minutes of the 2014 AGM, the Annual Report of the Trustees for 2014, Accounts and Treasurer's Report for 2014, the President’s report from Council, the election of Officers and Elected Members (see separate notice), the place and date of the 2016 AGM, and any other business.
The full agenda, minutes and reports are in the booklet enclosed with this issue of Field Bryology (vol. 113).
R.H. Carter, General Secretary, February 2015
News from the Recording SecretaryPhil Perrin has volunteered to take on both Laois and Carlow (both previously vacant), whilst Uta Hamzaoui has taken over Leicestershire from Ivan Pedley. There were two other resignations: Chris Tipper (Hertfordshire) and Rosemary McCance (Orkney), both of which VCs are now vacant. Thank you again to Ivan, Chris, and Rosemary for all their hard work as Recorders, particularly in respect of their contributions towards the Atlas. We are also saddened to report the death of former Recorder for Leicestershire, Dennis Ballard. Dennis was a member of the BBS for many years. Most notably he produced The Leicestershire Bryophyte Flora in 2004.
